Re: Quick question
--- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: The term most often used is Lower 48, sometimes - more rarely - is Continental US That's 49 states; Alaska is Continental. The Lower 48 is equivalent to the Contiguous US. Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: Quick question
--- graywolf [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: The Lower 48 means the same thing as Continental US, or the contiguous states. No, no, no, Alaska IS continental... It's not an island! (Neither is Rhode Island, but that's another story ;-).) Continguous, on the other hand, does indeed refer to the same states as the lower 48. I believe this term originated in post-statehood Alaska as we are lower than they are. Today it is really rather obsolete since Hawaii is in fact just as low as most of the lower states (and lower than many of them), but nonetheless it is still a popular term. New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: CMOS
--- Christian [EMAIL PROTECTED] The lack of noise at high sensitivity is something people claim as an advantage for CMOS. Supposedly a drawback is that they suck more power. Actually, it's the opposite. CMOS use much less power than CCD but they have higher noise levels. Canon CMOS have very low noise levels because of a proprietary noise elimination circuit that is patented by Canon. This type of technology only works with CMOS (because of the way the data gets off the sensor in a CMOS as opposed to CCD) but anyhow it is proprietary, patented technology that nobody else can touch. Aside from the Canons (all Canon D-SLRs but the D2000, D6000 and 1D) the only other large-sensor CMOS cameras are the Nikon D2X/D2Xs and the Sony DSC-R1. Both have quite high noise levels given the size of their sensors. New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: Video editing; was: dudes, I'm getting a DELL
--- Ivan Shukster [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: And AVID will not work on the mac. Apparently it will be another month until the bugs are worked out and it will work on the mac. That's not the Mac's fault. Obviously Avid haven't updated their software to work yet on the latest Macs. I laughed and laughed cause he is always telling me how easy Macs are to install software and hardware I've never found installing software much trouble on either platform. What is much easier on the Mac is UNinstalling software. You just drag the program's folder to the Trash and, poof, it's gone. No uninstaller or add/remove programs nonsense. c) whenever I do use a Mac I can never figure out how to turn them off. Is this a joke? You click on the Apple menu and then choose Shut Down. Not too difficult. In fact, virtually identical to the way it works on a Windows PC, just using the Apple menu rather than the Start menu. (The Apple menu is the little Apple logo that is permanently in the top left corner of the display in every version of Mac OS since 1984.) Of course, there are valid reasons for using Windows, but I don't think not being able to figure out how to shut down a Mac is one of them... Obviously you don't like Macs much but really, don't knock them - they DO have their advantages. As for it being just a computer... If you use the computer as much as I do, it's a lot more than just ;-)... New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: PDML Digest, Vol 5, Issue 456
--- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: --- Bill Owens [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: That's kinda what I thought, that it was basically the laptop version of the Core Duo. No. Core Duo is the name of the processor (it's a mobile chip but is also used in Mac Minis and last-generation iMacs). Centrino is an Intel mobile specification that requires the computer to have an Intel processor (Pentium M, Celeron M, Core Solo, Core Duo or Core 2 Duo), an Intel chipset, an Intel wireless network adapter, and a few other things. Centrino Duo is the name for Centrino with a dual-core processor (Core Duo or Core 2 Duo). With a single-core processor (Pentium M, Celeron M, Core Solo) it's just Centrino. (Centrino can also be used generally, to apply to both single-core and dual-core-equipped computers.) The desktop equivalent of Centrino is Viiv. (There's no Viiv Duo since all Viiv PCs have dual-core processors - Pentium D, Pentium Extreme Edition, Core Duo, Core 2 Duo, or Core 2 Extreme.) Centrino and Viiv do REQUIRE certain types of processors, but NOT all computers with those processors meet the specifications and are allowed to be sold using the Centrino/Centrino Duo/Viiv logo. --- Feroze [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: The centrino is the laptop version of the core 2 duo, No - see above. Centrino is not a processor, it's a specification that includes Intel processors, chipsets, and wireless network adapters. Core 2 Duo can be either a mobile OR a desktop processor. It is a marketing name that refers to two processors - Merom, a mobile chip, and Conroe, a desktop chip. They're basically the same, but the mobile one is less powerful and ueses less power. Both are based off the Core microarchitecture. (The original Core Solo and Core Duo are based off the P6 architecture.) Note that current iMacs, even though they're desktops, use the mobile version of Core 2 Duo (Merom). Incidentally, no Apple systems to date have been Centrino or Viiv systems (these are essentially Intel marketing programs and Apple has rejected all of Intel's marketing programs including Intel Inside logos on computers and the Intel Inside logo and jingle in advertising). New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: Just shoot me...
--- Mark Roberts [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: believe me, the typical man on the street Mac user has no more or less trouble than his Windows-using counterpart. Sorry, but I don't believe you ;-). The difference between Windows and Mac comes down to more than personal preference. Mac OS really IS much more stable and reliable than Windows. I used Windows for years (starting with Windows 3.1 and moving on through 95, 98, NT 4.0, 2000 and XP) and finally switched to Mac this year... And my only regret is that I didn't do it sooner. Of course, Mac OS isn't perfect. (If it were, there would be no reason to come out with new versions ;-).) But I do think it is a lot better than Windows. New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: Street photography - religious objections (now Socialists)
--- William Robb [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: They do not support sweat shops. That statement depends on two things. First, it depends on what you call a sweat shop. Many people simply take this to mean any plant which operates on labor rules not as strict as in the US, Europe, or other highly-industrialized - which basically means that anything made in China, Vietnam, etc. is sweat shop to these people. Second, it depends on whether one believes the company in question. Wal-Mart attackers tend to assume that they must be lying, while their defenders tend to assume that they must be telling the truth. Personally, I don't know whether they're lying or telling the truth. But it's all a moot point if one's definition of sweat shop is what I outlined above. North American consumers in general do support sweatshop labour, whether unwittingly or otherwise by insisting on, and shopping for the best price they can find. Er, and which company promises Always Low Prices ;-)? (One could argue that they're forced to by the market - or, one could argue that they came up with the idea and conditioned the market to demand it.) Those foriegn workers, btw, need to make some sort of income to stay alive too. NOW you've gotten to the core of why I, personally, am moderately pro-globalization. (With reservations, of course. It has to be done right.) The fact is, export trade makes poor countries richer! Japan was poor once; now they're rich. Same for Taiwan. And South Korea. And the same will happen in China and all the other Asian countries that are rapidly industrializing today. Their industrialization may not be pretty - but then, no country's has ever been. Like sausages, if you want to enjoy industrialized economies, you probably shouldn't watch them being made. New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: Pentax 15mm on DSLR?
--- [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Ralf R. Radermacher) Given the choice, I'd probably go for the new Fuji S5 - if only for the dynamic range which would be a definite plus for my night stuff - provided it came with a better viewfinder than its predecessors. It has the same viewfinder as the D200 - which is to say, a very, very good one. Actually, the D200/S5 body is excellent (unless you find it too big/heavy). Superlative ergonomics and build quality. It is a great advance over the S3 body which was tolerable, no more. If it were affordable and I could get my hands on the Nikon 18-200mm VR, I might be tempted by it. But it will probably be very overpriced (like its predecessors) and that lens (the only wide-to-anything Nikon VR zoom for DSLRs) is both expensive and practically impossible to find, so I'm not tempted. New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: Pentax 15mm on DSLR? (now Nikons/Fuji)
--- Adam Maas [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: The 18-200, while a good lens, is not one I'd pair with the D200. The only reason I'd buy it is for the VR. There's no other VR Nikkor wider than 24mm. I'd not invest in the D200 unless I was willing to pair it with serious glass I'd not invest in the D200 altogether - too noisy. The S5 is a different matter entirely. If the 17-55mm came in a VR version, then the only thing stopping me from buying that and an S5 would be price. New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: Street photography - religious objections (now politics)
--- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I don't agree with your assessment of what most Democrats would support. I mean Democratic politicians. Democratic rank-and-file tend to be much more radical than Democratic politicians. I can't remember the last time I heard a Democratic candidate advocate a single-payer healthcare model. The Powers That Be declared this an obsolete concept a long time ago, I'm afraid. New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: Re: Street photography - religious objections (now politics)
--- John Forbes [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Elsewhere, he'd be normal. Aren't independence and normalcy (as defined by society) somewhat mutually exclsuive? Normal to me, denotes a certain amount of conformity, which is opposed to independence. --- Adam Maas [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I'd do fine most anywhere in the Commonwealth though. Pakistan? Bangladesh? Jamaica? New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: CompatFlash v4.0
--- Adam Maas [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Within 1 major revision of the OS for software (So Windows XP and 2000 would be modern, OS X 10.4 and 10.3 for Mac's). This is somewhat unfair as Windows 2000 is much older than OS X 10.3. Actually, so is Windows XP! Hardware which is capable of running that at acceptable speeds for hardware (1GHz+ these days, with 256MB or more of RAM). Running Windows XP or OS X with 256 MB of RAM is not pretty. And MHz is very misleading. Processor family is much more important. If you go by reasonably able to run the latest OS, I guess this would be PIII or higher for Windows, G3 or higher for Mac, with at least 512 MB of RAM. New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: K10D etc.: first impressions (from Photokina)
--- Amita Guha [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Thibouille, how was the build of the K10D? According to Thibouille and others, the build quality is better than the *ist D. I take that it to mean that must be very good, since the D was very nicely put together for an advanced amateur camera. New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: Interview w/Pentax exec
--- Joseph Tainter [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Seriously, what could be added to warrant a substantially higher price? The K10D is basically a D200 at a D80 price. I would expect the K1D will be a D2Xs at a D200 price. I would say we are, at the very least, looking at: 12 MP 5 fps Bigger RAW buffer Full Magnesium Alloy Body And possibly: 8 fps high-speed crop mode Built-in Veritcal Grip New AF and Metering Systems And who knows what else they could have up their sleeve. All for a price of probably below $2,000. This wouldn't compel me to buy the camera (it would be pretty hard to think of a feature I'd want that the K10D hasn't got) but I'm sure there are those who would. After all, a D2Xs is only marginally better than a D200, and a D200 only marginally better than a D80, and yet all three sell... New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: K10D etc.: first impressions (from Photokina)
--- Amita Guha [EMAIL PROTECTED] I saw the Sony Alpha today and was shocked at how plasticky and cheap it felt. It's not THAT bad... Don't get me wrong; it's not GOOD but have you ever felt a Canon Rebel? Now they REALLY feel like crap... Next to those, the A100 doesn't feel so bad. But it is definitely worse than the Nikon D50/D70/D80 and if the K10D is actually better than an *ist D (or even as good as it), then the K10D will blow away any other camera in the price range as far as build quality is concerned. I know it's much cheaper than the K10D is supposed to be It is? That's news to me. I just checked and, yes, both the K10D and the A100 sell for $999 with kit lens, $899 without. New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: Street photography - religious objections (now National Geographic)
--- P. J. Alling [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: If you look at their history you wouldn't be surprised. Well, it was founded by rich businessmen, so in the past it wouldn't have been surprising. (Or do you mean something else?) I'm more surprised that it's apparently still the case today. A lot of conservative Republicans wouldn't like some of the stuff published in National Geographic's publications... New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: Who wants a DNG from a GX-10 (K10D) to play with?
--- From: Thibouille [EMAIL PROTECTED] Ask me I will send it ;) Sure, I'll take one :-). New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: Street photography - religious objections (now Socialists)
--- Paul Stenquist [EMAIL PROTECTED] That's certainly not true in the US. US politics are radically different than any other industrialized country. The US doesn't even have a substantial organized socialist party (in most other industrialized countries, it's the biggest or second-biggest one). Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: Street photography - religious objections (now politics)
--- Adam Maas [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: By US standards that would make me a moderate democrat By US standards it would make you an outcast ;-)! Neither party would tolerate you. Your views on guns, global warming, and foreign policy fit right in with the Republican line. Your views on socialized medicine and drug legalization would put you on the extreme left fringe of American politics, way to the left of the Democrats who don't even advocate national health insurance or soft-drugs legislation let alone socialized medicine or hard-drugs legalization. New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: Street photography - religious objections (now politics)
--- Adam Maas [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Note I support Socialized Medicine, not National Health Insurance. Sorry, I wasn't clear. Socialized medicine I take to mean a system like the UK's, where the whole thing is government-owned (whether it is controlled centrally or locally). By national (or state) health insurance, I simply mean government-provided insurance that pays for people to go to private hospitals, doctors, etc. (like the American Medicare system, but for everyone, not just senior citizens). I really should have said state or government health insurance, not national. But either way, both are way, way outside the Democratic mainstream. Most Democrats would simply favor strengthening the private insurance system so that more people have insurance. In other words, they support minor tweaking of the current system so that marginally more people have insurance, but nothing more. Anything more radical would be a political liability. So I would still say that where you veer right, you'd be right at home as a Republican, but where you veer left, you'd be way left of the American political mainstream. Entirely apart from healthcare, legalizing hard drugs in the US would be only marginally more politically popular as outlawing Christianity, and no self-respecting politician would ever dare suggest such a thing. Most American politicians don't even support legalizing cannabis for medical/theraputic purposes, let alone full legalization of soft drugs, let alone total drugs legalization. I'm a radical left-winger by US standards and even I don't support it. New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: PentaxUSA Strikes Again!
--- graywolf [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Solly, no spak anguish. LOL, you remind me of this Shelley Berman routine: http://www.shelleyberman.com/roomservice.htm Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: D645 Price?
--- Shel Belinkoff [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: $4,995.00 US Street Price Are you kidding? If that's true, it's going to completely revolutionize the MF digital market. I am hugely skeptical that they can produce it for that sort of price but then again, the K10D is pretty impressive for $899 :-)! My guess for the 645D would have been something like $8,000-9,000 and even that would be cheap for an MF digital solution. Mind you, I don't have $4,995 to spend on a camera (let alone lenses etc.) and anyway it is not suited to the kind of work I do, but if it really is $4,995 that is going to be a BIG DEAL. New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: D645 price?
--- Mark Roberts [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: though the MF camera should have better noise characteristics I'm not so sure about that. Most MF digital cameras don't even go above ISO 400. The EOS-1Ds Mk II has excellent noise characteristics. Probably the only thing that can beat them is the EOS 5D which is most likely the least noisy camera out there. New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: Samsung has spoken (sort of)
--- Joseph Tainter [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: This time they mounted the lens correctly. I guess they are now ready for prime time ;-). What interests me is that the camera is called GX-10. It was originally labelled GX-2. The Samsung naming logic is the opposite of Pentax: with Pentax, a 10 is a better camera than a 100 and (if it existed) a 1 would be better still. In contrast, Samsung's 1 is cheaper than 10 and presumably if the mythical K1D were ever to emerge, it would be a Samsung GX-100! The Pentax naming logic is also followed by Canon for whom single-digit bodies are top-of-the-range, double digit are mid-range and three digit are the entry-level. Nikon's single-digit bodies are top-of-the-range but the mid-range bodies are three digit and the entry- level models two digit, just to keep things confusing! (But unlike Canon, Nikon consider themselves to have only two ranges: consumer and pro. Thus, the pro cameras are single-digit, while the consumer cameras are multiple-digit, with the higher the number meaning the better the consumer camera.) New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: Now Virgin Bans Some Laptop Batteries!
--- Doug Franklin [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Actually, I'm not sure I'd ever be able to do it at all. Don't give up so easily on your dream :-)! I know a lot of people who are prone to seasickness but still will not be deterred from travelling by sea. Many people find great relief from the pressure bands and if they don't work for you, the OTC medication meclizene is highly effective. (Most liners and cruise ships will supply it free if you're seasick.) And if neither of those works, you can always go down to the surgery to get the shot. I'm not exactly sure what it is but apparently it puts you to sleep for about six hours and then you will be fine for days to come. Apparently the shot will completely cure even the worst mal de mer though it is rarely necessary to resort to such measures. Personally, I have never encountered even the slightest bit of seasickness - some of us are just immune to it. The worst weather I've ever encountered was last August 2005 crossing the North Sea from Rotterdam to Oslo. It was an overnight passage and I would say that at one point the seas reached around 40 ft as we had waves washing up on to the boat deck of the ROTTERDAM (http://www.hollandamerica.com/cruiseships/Rotterdam). And no, I don't mean spray; I'm talking green water here! I thought it was rather fun but probably some of the other 1,800 or so passengers and crew aboard were not thrilled at the prospect! Anyhow, all this fuss about rough seas is a bit overblown I suspect; no doubt I am not the only one who has been through serious turbulence while flying. I am not at all a nervous flyer but nonetheless my comfort level in very rough weather at sea is definitely higher than in very rough weather in the air! New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: Pentax shutter sounds
--- David Mann [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I hope the new supersonic lenses aren't going to scare cats. I shouldn't think so - the Canikon ones don't make any sound at all when focusing. New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: Now Virgin Bans Some Laptop Batteries!
--- Cotty [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Empress of Canada (CP) in 1964, to Montreal. Ah, the lovely EMPRESS OF CANADA! One of my favorite (and highly under-appreciated) post-war liners. She was broken up in 2004, but you can buy a piece of her at: http://www.midshipcentury.com/empressofcanada.shtml I highly recommend the book The Last White Empresses by Clive Harvey, which details the history of this ship and her two older half-sisters, EMPRESS OF BRITAIN and EMPRESS OF ENGLAND. The only one still around is the former EMPRESS OF BRITAIN, now THE TOPAZ, which celebrates her 50th birthday this year. I visited her in June: http://shiploverny.smugmug.com/gallery/1582266 She is vastly changed from her original state but still a most fascinating vessel. And I do apologize if anyone is finding this off-topic chatter annoying, but on joining I was told that OT stuff is welcome at PDML, so there ;-)! New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: Now Virgin Bans Some Laptop Batteries!
--- Doug Franklin [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I've also wanted for a long time to do a Europe trip where I fly in and out of England, and take the Channel Tunnel in one direction and the hovercraft ferry in the other I'm afraid you're too late - the hovercraft have been retired. Crossing the Channel by hovercraft is one of the travel experiences I've always wanted to have but which now seems impossible. The other was crossing the Atlantic by Concorde... New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: Now Virgin Bans Some Laptop Batteries!
--- Cotty [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Forget the hovercraft - outdated slow ;-) You want to go on the sea cat: They don't have those on the Channel any longer, either! Not long after Sea Containers retired the hovercraft, they shut down Hoverspeed entirely and sold the SeaCats elsewhere. The only fast ferry service I can think of on the Channel today is Brittany Ferries' Portsmouth-Cherbourg service: http://www.brittanyferries.co.uk/index.cfm?articleid=142 New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: Now Virgin Bans Some Laptop Batteries!
--- graywolf [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: The North Atlantic is a dark and stormy sea in the wintertime. The North Atlantic can be a dark and stormy sea any time of year... And it can also be quite pleasant if you're lucky. Thank you for joining out Masochists Special winter cruise. First, let's get this straight: if you cross the Atlantic by sea, it's a CROSSING, not a CRUISE. BIG difference. And there is actually a sizeable group of people who routinely cross the North Atlantic in wintertime just for fun. It's unofficially known as the Winter Crossing Club. You see, every year, the grande dame of the seas, RMS QUEEN ELIZABETH 2 (which was launched 39 years ago today) does one mid-winter crossing, westbound from Southampton to New York. Previously it was a positioning voyage to get to New York before her annual Christmas cruise from New York to the Caribbean; now the Christmas cruise is done by the new QUEEN MARY 2 so it is in early January, after a Christmas cruise from Southampton to the Canaries, and it forms the first leg of the annual World Cruise. A pretty big group of people have made a habit of taking this crossing pretty much every year. Most of them are ship buffs (like me - see my e-mail address) and it has become a major social event of the year for Club members. After hearing about it for years from friends, I finally made my first winter crossing this past January. Paradoxically, the weather was fine! It got into the 50ËF range during the day and we had only one night of moderately rough seas (perhaps 15-20 ft). A lot of people were quite disappointed. However, weather this good is certainly unusual on the North Atlantic in January. As for icebergs; you will not see them on the Atlantic in winter... The ice comes out in the SPRING when things start melting up in Greenland! Note that the TITANIC hit that famous berg in April... Not the middle of winter. it may just be that there is a market for passengers who want to bring their swiss army knife and laptop battery with them. Laptop battery, yes. Swiss Army Knife... I'm not sure. This past January, the eminent maritime historian John Maxtone-Graham tried to bring his sgian dubh aboard, as part of his Scottish Highland formalwear. They wouldn't let him. But then, there's a big difference between a sgian dubh and a Swiss Army Knife... New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: Now Virgin Bans Some Laptop Batteries!
--- Mark Roberts [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I probably represent the last generation ever to emigrate to America by ship. Well, by 1967, not only were few people emigrating to America by ship, but few people were emigrating from Western Europe to America by any means, except perhaps some from Southern Italy (I assume you are not, in fact, Southern Italian given that you are a Roberts, but one never knows). The last emigrants to America by ship probably came over in the 1970s largely from Southern Italy before Italian Line/Italia ended their North Atlantic service. We came over on the Queen Elizabeth I in 1967. It was, I believe, the next-to-last crossing the ship made before Cunard Lines ended transatlantic service. Cunard never ended Transatlantic service - it continues to this day. Cunard became the only shipping line to operate a regular North Atlantic passenger service in 1987 after Gdynia-America Line withdrew their last ship, STEFAN BATORY, which operated on the Gdynia-Montreal service. QUEEN ELIZABETH didn't retire until October 1968. MARY retired a year earlier, in 1967. The service was resumed in April 1969 when QUEEN ELIZABETH 2 entered service, and she ran it until 2004 when she was (mostly) replaced by QM2. (However, QE2 still does occasional crossings, in addition to her now more usual cruises.) Actually, QE2 made visit to New York yesterday, though this was part of a round-trip cruise from Southampton to various Eastern US and Canadian ports. It is relatively rare these days to have her on these shores; generally she visits four or five times a year now that QM2 has become Cunard's regular Atlantic liner. I might also add that today (20 September) is also a big anniversary in Cunard history - or really, two big anniversaries. For one, it is the 100th anniversary of the launching of MAURETANIA (I) at Swan, Hunter Wigham Richardson, Wallsend; it is also the 39th anniversary of the launching of QUEEN ELIZABETH 2 at John Brown Company, Clydebank. --- Bob W [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I can beat that. I took my first baby steps aboard the Strathnaver coming to England from Australia in 1958. Well now, I suppose the only person who could beat you would be someone BORN at sea! (And through the Internet I have met no fewer than TWO people who were born on line voyages from Italy to Australia, aboard the same ship with the same Captain, though not on the same voyage!) Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: Now Virgin Bans Some Laptop Batteries!
--- Doug Franklin [EMAIL PROTECTED]: I've read so many books about the U-boat War in the North Atlantic during WW2 that I've always wanted to do a winter crossing. It'd have to be on something the size of the QE2 or the QM2, though. I don't mind heavy weather but I would certainly not cross the Atlantic in mid-winter in a small ship. Frankly, I'm not sure I'd cross the Atlantic in a small ship, period. QM2 hasn't done any winter crossings yet, though I'm sure she will eventually. Right now they are the sole province of QE2. In 2008 there will be a tandem winter crossing, QE2 and the brand new QUEEN VICTORIA. It will be a seven day crossing rather than the customary six because VICTORIA is too slow! (QE2 can do it in five but they switch to six back in the 1990s because of fuel costs.) I would not take VICTORIA; she will just be an ordinary new cruise ship not really made to take that kind of weather. QE2 is a real ocean liner made to take the worst the Atlantic can throw at her. (Same for QM2.) I will most likely not be doing the 2007 QE2 winter crossing (damned thing called money gets in the way sometimes) but I do plan on doing the 2008 tandem... Aboard QE2, of course. So if you really want to do a winter crossing, start saving up now. I can tell you one thing; it is a hell of a lot more fun than crossing by air! And the food is better too ;-). I'll pass on the winter Murmansk run, though. ;-) Yes, not even I'm adventurous enough to do that! New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: 3 New DA* USM lenses
--- Joseph Tainter [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I hope you are right, John. But the statement could refer only to the image circle. These are DA lenses. I also would hope that they can work with screwdriver AF but this would be very unusual. I do not know of any lenses from other manufacturers that work both ways. Just because they say the lenses work with *ist series bodies doesn't mean they work with full functionality on those bodies... Just that they will work somehow. On another note, am I the only one disappointed to see that the 16-50mm and 50-135mm lenses won't be out until March? I was hoping to see them in December as the 2006 Lens Roadmap had predicted. New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: Now Virgin Bans Some Laptop Batteries!
--- From: John Coyle [EMAIL PROTECTED] I travelled, in 1967, from Southampton to St.Helena on the Capetown Castle - never could make up my mind whether that was a cruise or a voyage. Line voyage. A good friend of mine was a purserette (as they then called female pursers) aboard U-C ships including CAPETOWN CASTLE. It would be quite a coincidence if you were aboard at the same time! She wrote a book called Union-Castle Purserette which you might enjoy reading. One trip I'd really like to take (if I had the time and money) would be to St. Helena aboard the last working Royal Mail Ship, RMS ST. HELENA (http://www.rms-st-helena.co.uk). The few people I know who have done it have loved it and to me there is something very intriguing about a place that hasn't got an airport (yet). They were going to build an airport on St. Helena but I have now heard that some endangered birds lived on the site so they are not going to be building anything for the forseeable future. Works for me :-)! New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
2007 Lens Roadmap In English
Here is the 2007 lens roadmap in English: http://www.digital.pentax.co.jp/en/lens/roadmap.pdf Aside from the three DA* zooms, I don't see anything particularly exciting. The 17-70mm strikes me as particularly redundant... Do we really need another standard zoom on top of the 18-55, 16-45 and 16-50mm lenses? Nonetheless, personally there is nothing not already announced that wouldn't fulfill my needs, though I wouldn't mind seeing the 12-24mm upgraded to DA* spec. I just hope the prices on the three DA* lenses aren't TOO exorbitant... I really, really want a K10D and DA* 16-50mm! New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: English K10D brochure
--- Kenneth Waller [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I've also noticed some new look full page Pentax Ads in several photo mags. Not just photo mags. Yesterday I was flipping through National Geographic Traveler and there was a nice full-page K100D ad. It emphasized small and light and Shake Reduction - obviously the two big selling points of that fine camera. A few pages before it was a Sony Alpha ad which I've also noticed in photo and travel ads lately. They seem to be going for an upscale look... New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: English K10D brochure
--- Kenneth Waller [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I've also noticed some new look full page Pentax Ads in several photo mags. Not just photo mags. Yesterday I was flipping through National Geographic Traveler and there was a nice full-page K100D ad. It emphasized small and light and Shake Reduction - obviously the two big selling points of that fine camera. A few pages before it was a Sony Alpha ad which I've also noticed in photo and travel ads lately. They seem to be going for an upscale look... New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: popphoto.com k10D
--- Adam Maas [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: D200 (the first weather-sealed semi-pro DSLR in the sub-$2K market, Wouldn't that be the Oly E-1? (It is sad that they are not releasing a successor to it - it was actually a lovely camera with certain fatal flaws...) Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
The K10D Has Arrived!
Dear All, Maybe someone's sent this in already (I get digests), but it appears the K10D has arrived: http://www.steves-digicams.com/pr/pentax_09132006_k10d_pr.html?AType=0 Amazingly, it lives up to the rumors! (Possibly the first D-SLR I know of that has.) We now have four 10 MP SLRs for $999 with kit lens: Pentax K10D Nikon D80 Sony A100 Canon 400D/Rebel XTi The K10D meets or beats the other three on EVERY SINGLE point! It has the big viewfinder of the D80, the anti-shake of the A100, the anti-dust of the 400D, not to mention (probably) better build quality, weather-sealing, and so on. It even meets or beats the Canon 30D and Nikon D200 on every spec except fps (though some will make a big deal of their all-metal bodies). The 30D looks particularly dire now! Unless you need a 24x36mm sensor or very high speed, the K10D offers the most complete feature set of any D-SLR ever made! It even looks like it might (?) shoot in native DNG format! I'm left waiting for the other shoe to drop - on paper this thing simply looks too good to be true! Unless there is a fatal flaw with this (e.g. IQ problems) which I find unlikely, I WILL be buying one of these. If it lives up to its specs, it will be quite simply the D-SLR I have been waiting for, at a price I never dreamed of! My Canon kit is going up for sale very soon! New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: Weather-sealed body
--- Cotty [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Indeed it does. That's interesting. Canon put the seal on the back of the lenses (L). With the K10D you can seal camera to any lens. I'm not so sure about that. I think you will find that the 1-series D-SLRs (and the EOS-1V) have gaskets on the lens mount, as well: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos1dsmkii/page5.asp And yet, according to Canon, the camera is not weatherproof unless it's got one of the sealed lenses mounted on it. Similarly, you will find the lens mount both on the camera and on the lens gasketed with Nikon and Olympus sealed bodies/lenses. I would bet that the upcoming high-end lenses e.g. 16-50mm f/2.8 will have gaskets on them. New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: K10D pricing at BH
--- Digital Image Studio [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: looking at the huge press kit photos I see no gasket What press kit photos :-)? New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Supposed K10D Features
Dear All, It appears more of the supposed K10D press release has been posted on a Chinese-language forum. I am quoting from the forum - you can view the original post at (http://forum.ec-photo.com/viewtopic.php?p=125207). Note this is of course mere rumor at this point, we will have to wait a few more days to see what the real thing turns out to be. Here goes: 1. 22-bit ADC The K10D incorporates a high-performance A/D converter, which faithfully converts the analog data collected by the CCD image sensor into digital data. With the highest resolving power (22 bits, or 4.2 million gradations) among all existing digital cameras, it offers a digital-conversion capacity 1,024 times greater than conventional 12-bit, 4,096-gradation A/D converters. 2. D-BG2 Battery Grip Developed for exclusive use with the PENTAX K10D, this battery grip can be used in combination with the camera's rechargeable lithium-ion batteries to greatly extend the battery life. With an extra shutter-release button, preview lever, electronic dial, AE-lock button and green button, it makes vertical-position shooting simple and effortless. It also features the same dust-proof, water-resistant construction as the K10D camera body. Marketing date (tentative): Mid October, 2006 (at the launch of the K10D) Power source: Exclusive lithium-ion battery (D-LI50 type) Dimensions: 140 (W) x 43 (H) x 73.5 (D) mm (excluding protrusions) Weight: 235g (without battery) 3. Compatibility with supersonic motor-driven lenses The K10D is designed to be compatible with supersonic motor-driven autofocus lenses (currently under development), which are expected to provide smoother, quieter autofocus operation than conventional lenses. 4. Newly designed PRIME imaging engine: The K10D incorporates the new PRIME (PENTAX Real Image Engine) as its imaging engine. Designed exclusively for PENTAX digital SLR cameras, this new imaging engine produces well-balanced, true-to-life images through efficient control of CCD signals, saturation, brightness, white balance, sharpness and contrast. Its new memory (DDR2: Double Data Rate 2) also serves to enhance speedy image processing and high-speed data transfer. 5. Dust-proof, water-resistant construction The K10D boasts a reliable dust-proof, water-resistant construction, with special seals applied to 72 different parts of the camera body, including the shutter release button and switches/levers/dials. This dependable body makes it possible to use the K10D in the rain or at dusty locations without worries. 6. Powerful rechargeable batteries for extended shooting The K10D features new, large-capacity lithium-ion rechargeable batteries, which can capture approximately 730 images** when fully recharged. ** Under testing conditions prescribed by the CIPA standards (flash illumination used in 50% of images). 7. Dust Removal system to keep dust off the CCD surface The K10D features the new Dust Removal (DR) system to prevent dust from sticking to the surface of the CCD image sensor (or low-pass filter). Applied to the CCD surface through a vapor deposition process of a fluorine compound, the PENTAX-original Special Protect (SP) coating effectively removes dust and stains from the surface. In the next step, dust that still remains on the surface will be shaken off when the SR system shifts the CCD at high speed. The dust that is shaken off the CCD will fall onto an adhesive sheet positioned at the bottom of the SR unit, eliminating any possibility of its returning to the CCD surface. 8. Sensitivity-Priority mode: The K10D features a new Sensitivity-Priority AE (Sv) mode, which is designed to automatically select the optimum combination of aperture and shutter speed for a user-selected sensitivity. The sensitivity can be shifted instantly (in 1/2 or 1/3 steps) by turning the electronic dial. Since this mode eliminates the need to recall a menu screen for sensitivity changes, the photographer can react more quickly to changing photographic conditions. --- Real or fake? You decide. One thing not mentioned is that a weather-sealed body is not much use if the lens is not sealed also! As far as I am aware, no current Pentax lenses are sealed... Anyhow, all will be revealed soon... New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: Survey Time: K10D
--- Shel Belinkoff [EMAIL PROTECTED]: Who will probably buy a K10D based on reviews and comments here and in other venues? That's me. I would never go to the point of saying that I'm definitely buying any camera that doesn't even exist yet, but I will probably buy a K10D. I might wait until the 16-50mm f/2.8 is out and then buy that together with the K10D. Since that's scheduled to be available around December (apparently) and the K10D is rumored to ship around October, hopefully by the time the lens comes out we will know if there's anything wrong with the camera. I'm not in a huge hurry because I already have a fine camera (Canon 20D). However, I want to get rid of it fairly soon - that is, while the 30D is still current. Hopefully 20D values will remain fairly stable until the 30D (which is basically the same camera) is replaced... New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
K10D Competitors and Press Release
Dear All, I have been reading the K10D chatter here with interest. First things first: if this camera is, as rumored, to sell at US$999 or less, it WILL have three main competitors: the Nikon D80, the Sony A100 and the Canon 400D/Rebel XTi. Why? Well, they all sell for around $999 with kit lens. They are all 10 MP D-SLRs. Ergo, they will be considered in the same class. Now, the K10D is rumored to have better image quality than these cameras (or at least the D80 and A100 - nobody knows what the 400D is like yet), better build quality etc. but nonetheless, its competitors are quite simply whatever it is that everyone else is selling at the same price point. If it is at the $999 price point, it will compete with the other D-SLRs that cost $999. Canon's 30D will not be a prime competitor if, as rumored, it is a $999, 10 MP, 3 fps camera. The 30D is a $1,299 (with lens), 8 MP, 5 fps camera. Right now, the 30D mainly exists for people who want a relatively fast (5 fps) camera but can't afford a 1-series. This is the same class as the Nikon D200, though the D200 is a bit more expensive and is better than the Canon in every aspect but image quality (which is, IMHO, worse). So from my point of view, if it has the best feature set in the class, the K10D seems destined to compete with the D80, A100 and 400D, slotting in above the entry-level K100D, D50 and 350D. As for the supposed press release, if it is real will someone just post the whole thing already? It makes no sense to post just bits and pieces. If you are really leaking confidential information, just go the whole way and leak ALL of it :-)... New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: K10D Competitors and Press Release
--- Paul Stenquist [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I wouldn't be surprised if K10D cameras are alrea warehoused in the United States. This would be highly unusual for the camera business. Products have usually NOT shipped when they are announced. --- Tim Øsleby [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Thousand K10D in Brooklyn? Think I'll have a word with Tony Soprano and see if he can get one for me. Tony Soprano is from New Jersey, not Brooklyn :-). New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: OT - Changing File Listing in CS2
--- Godfrey DiGiorgi [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I recall that option in the Mac OS X version of Photoshop but it no longer exists in CS2 that I can find. Wait... We're talking about the Open dialog, right? Forgive me if I'm a bit confused - I haven't been following this discussion closely. I happened to see your message and I was SURE I just saw that button so I simply had to check to be sure. And indeed, it's still there. It's a button in the lower left hand corner of the dialog. I'm running CS2 on Tiger. (Runs great on my little 12 PowerBook... My first Mac, ever. I love this thing!) Of course, if it's some other dialog we're talking about, then all of the above is completely irrelevant :-o. Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: Leaked K10D Press Release
--- Mark Roberts [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: The K10D is designed to be compatible with supersonic motor-driven autofocus lenses (currently under development), which are expected to provide smoother, quieter autofocus operation than conventional lenses. Supposedly this comes from a leaked K10D press release you have seen. Obviously you have no qualms about sharing this sentence, so why not go ahead and just post the whole thing? I can only assume that you were not supposed to see this press release at all, or else you would surely not be posting any of it. Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: Lens in motor or not? USM?
--- Joseph Tainter [EMAIL PROTECTED]: Is anyone else not worked up over this? I'm not worked up about it either. If it will work on existing Pentax bodies, I think it's a nice feature (but not important). If these lenses will initially autofocus ONLY on the K10D, I think it is a stupid choice since that would make those lenses much less desirable to current Pentax D-SLR owners. Having used all sorts of AF motors, the ultrasonic ones are definitely nice. They are the quietest and given a good body (good AF sensors and software), fastest. There are all sorts of technical advantages to having the motor in the lens (not just ultrasonic motors, but any motor) - for one thing, there is no mechanical linkage between the body and lens, which makes fewer things to break. Also, each lens can have the motor optimized specifically for THAT lens; an in-body motor must be designed for an average lens. It is worth noting that in many camera systems, ALL lenses have in-lens motors and bodies do not have AF motors at all. The first to do this was of course the Canon EF mount. Most new AF mounts designed since then have also been all-electronic (no mechanical AF or aperture connections) e.g. the Sigma SA mount, the FourThirds mount, the Contax N and 645 mounts and so on. But overall, I do not find it especially exciting. I don't do a lot of high speed work with long lenses so a slightly faster AF system is not a really big deal to me. I am more concerned with accuracy than speed. New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: Herb Keppler's comments in Photo Reporter
--- George Sinos [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Keppler always has an interesting take on the industry. Indeed, very interesting. It is worth noting that Herb uses a Pentax *ist D and a Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D - not a Canon or Nikon. (He is a long-time Pentax and Minolta user.) It is interesting that he implies that Pentax are not really interested so much in serious photographers as point-and-shooters who will be attracted by colorful graphics on the LCD panel. Not the direction I would like to see them moving in... New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
DCRP K100D Review
Dear All, Yet another K100D review: http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/pentax/k100d-review/index.shtml Very nice, though it is rather unfair to compare continuous shooting performance with the D80 - that is a camera that will compete with the K10D. The K100D should be compared with the D50. Doug - wondering if anyone is even interested in the K100D with all the K10D rumors running rampant __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: K10D
--- Brendan MacRae [EMAIL PROTECTED] Let's all hope it's full frame! Pentax will kill the competition with the price! That is purely a fantasy, and one whose chance of being realized is practically nil. METAL BODY - this is frickin no brainer for Pentax! If your camera has a plastic body, is it really PRO level? Well, the next Boeing airliner is going to have a plastic fuselage; does this mean it is amateur grade ;-)? Anyway, I do not see the K10D as a pro body. Its competitors will be the Canon 400D, Canon 30D, Nikon D80 and Sony A100. I would not call these pro bodies. (Well, maybe some would call the 30D this - it is also slightly more expensive than the others.) Most rumours seem to indicate that the K10D will feature a plastic body over a stainless-steel subframe. This is how every Pentax D-SLR has been so far, and they are very sturdy. True, metal as in the lovely MZ-S FEELS nicer, but plastic can actually be cheaper AND more durable. Personally I would still like a metal body just because I love that solid block of metal feel, but I doubt there is anyone on this list who actually NEEDS a metal camera. Extended Dynamic Range - the biggest shortcoming with the current DSLR's. Absolutely, there is no doubt that this is the biggest image-quality shortcoming at present. Even the much-touted Fujifilm S3 does not seem especially great in this respect - it is slightly better, but just that, slightly. Weather Sealing - Let's hope! I agree, this is actually one of my biggest wishes for this camera. The truth of the matter is that even though I use my Canon 20D in the rain (bad, bad me ;-)!) I do still get a bit nervous every time I do it. I never got that way using my weather-sealed Olympus E-1. But then, the lenses need to be sealed too. I do not think current Pentax lenses are sealed. My hope is that the K10D will be weather-sealed and that the upcoming 16-50mm f/2.8 and 50-135mm f/2.8 lenses will be sealed as well, to complement the sealed body. I am not sure what you mean about AA lithiums and heft. AA lithiums are extremely light. NiMH and alkaline AAs are much heavier. As I type this I am holding with one hand my new Wireless Mighty Mouse which has two AA lithiums in it. It is light enough that I could throw it across the room with no effort. (However, I will not do this as I quite like it and besides, I just spent around $60 on the thing ;-).) Doug (for whom the Wireless Mighty Mouse was almost as anticipated as the K10D - I LOVE that scroll ball, just brilliant...) __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
K10D Rumor
Dear All, On DPReview there is a gentleman who claims that his local camera store in Portland, Maine showed him an advertising flyer for the K10D with the following specs: - 10 Megapixels - ISO 100 to 3200 - Shake Reduction - Anti-Dust System - Li-Ion Battery Unfortunately, he has not got a copy of the flyer. For those who want to read more, here is the whole thread: http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1036message=19816141 Any PDML members from Portland or thereabouts? If we can get this guy to give up what shop it is, perhaps you could take a little time to go and investigate and see if this is for real... It would be the Pentax scoop of the year if you could get a copy of that rumored flyer :-)! Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Another K100D Review
Well, not exactly - it's a preview, but pretty detailed. http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/K100D/K100DA.HTM I'm not sure what the big deal is about tungsten WB - EVERY digital camera I have ever used does an awful job of automatic WB in artificial light. The author says that the answer is to use flash... NO!!! The answer is to use manual or preset WB! It's not that difficult... I also don't understand how this camera is more compatible than the *ist series with old Pentax lenses. I thought all Pentax D-SLRs were equally so - am I missing something here? But obviously, the reviewer liked the camera. It does sound pretty difficult to not to like. I think the *ist DS was probably just as likeable (plus it has that huge viewfinder), but it most likely took SR for anyone to actually take notice of Pentax's D-SLR offerings (except Mike Johnston, who wrote a very glowing review of it). Frankly, until SR made me take a closer look at the K100D, I never realized that a D-SLR as inexpensive as the *ists (not counting the oriignal D) could really be worth looking at. Aside from the amazingly good feature set for the price, and that nifty SR feature, it's also interesting to note how virtually EVERY reviewer mentions what a nice camera this is to use with its simple, logical controls. After my sojurn in C*non land with their wacky counter-intuitive controls (not necessarily bad, just DIFFERENT and for me, difficult to get used to), this is music to my ears. The K100D really does look like a great camera - it is taking all my willpower to wait a few weeks to see what the K10D is like rather than just buying a K100D now. Oh well, I have to sell my C*non first anyway... New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Stupid Pentax D-SLR Question
Dear All, This is something that really annoys me about my C*non so I am wondering if it is different on Pentax's D-SLRs (specifically the K100D, but they're probably all the same in this respect). Like most modern cameras, the 20D goes to sleep after a few seconds. On a N*kon D-SLR you can press ANY button and the camera will wake up. The C*non needs yout half-press the shutter to wake it up. This drives me nuts - I still can't get used to it after a year. For example, let's say I just took some outdoor photos at ISO 100. Now I walk indoors. I want to take a photo at ISO 800 and switch from Daylight to Tungsten white balance. On the C*non, I have to half-press the shutter, thus activating the AF and metering, THEN change ISO and WB, and of course take the photo after that. On the N*kons, you could just wake up the camera by pressing the ISO or WB button, not having to pointlessly activate the metering and AF when I'm not ready to take the shot anyway. On a Pentax, can I wake up the camera from its slumber by e.g. pressing the Fn button, or does it require the half-press of the shutter like the C*non? Oddly, I never see this mentioned in reviews. I never even noticed it about the C*non until after I bought it - it didn't come up when I played around with it in the shop. It won't influence my purchase decision (I've already decided to buy), but it would be awfully nice if in this respect the Pentax is more like a N*kon than a C*non. New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: Stupid Pentax D-SLR Question
--- Toralf Lund [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I think he's annoyed mainly with the fact that he has to press one specific button Exactly. I would like to be able to press any button I want, to avoid an unecessary extra step. In reality it doesn't take up much extra time, but it is annoying. --- Lucas Rijnders [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: As power-off time is much longer than with the Canon, it seems less of a problem to me. I agree, not as bad, but it would still be nice if it was like the N*kons where one can press ANY button. Maybe we will see this on the K10D :-). New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: Stupid Pentax D-SLR Question
--- Shel Belinkoff [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: What's the problem here? Why don't you spell out Canon and Nikon? This is a carryover from the DPR forums and some other sites, where as a sort of joke people '*' out other camera companies' names as though they were obscenities. I always thought it was a little silly but actually have been taken to task for spelling out a name (!) so I figured it was prudent just not to do it. I see it is not frowned upon here so I will use real names from now on :-). New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: Leica Digital M8?
Dear All, Looks like I provoked some interesting responses with my Leica posts :-). I am the type of person who from time to time likes to, ahem, stir the pot. It is always fascinating to see what happens when people rush to the defense of their camera equipment! --- Digital Image Studio [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: If you've owned both you'd know that they aren't the same league of camera in build or use I've owned neither. I could afford a Bessa if I wanted one but I am not terribly fond of rangefinders anyhow. I cannot afford a Leica, period. Maybe if I had a lot of money I would like one as a curiosity but that is about it. I do not doubt that the Leica is much better but really, six or seven times better? It just seems a bit excessive to me. --- Shel Belinkoff [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Leica still builds - and always has built - their basic camera Yes but it is a $3,500 basic camera! This is like saying that Rolls-Royce build their basic car; and indeed they do. It is only $350,000. I guess it is basic for a Rolls-Royce but it still costs as much as 14 fully loaded Honda Accords! Yes, you can buy a dressed up Leica, and there's not a damned thing wrong with that. No, nothing exactly WRONG with it; if you have a lot of money and want to spend it on a Leica that is most likely going to sit in a display case that is fine. It just seems to me that the whole collectable thing has gotten rather out of hand. It seems that there is such a profusion of special editions that it would be a full-time job just to keep track of all of them! At least some of the things they have come up with are quite pretty... Note I said SOME ;-)... Leica has always been expensive. This has been true, but then, once upon a time it was really not possible to produce high-quality cameras without carrying a high price tag! While they have always been expensive, my perception (and maybe it is wrong) is that the price gap has widened over the years. The Bessa is a piece of mass-produced crap based on a cheap body that Cosina has been using for a variety of cameras and brands for years. I am sure it is not up to the standards of a Leica but then it does not cost Leica money and does not claim to be as good as a Leica. But from a functional standpoint, it does basically the same thing, and costs an awful lot less. Anyway I would say that most modern cameras are mass-produced crap just like the Bessa, indeed most Cosina bodies I've seen (under various names) seem pretty sturdily constructed for cheap cameras. What makes some Canon and Nikons worth five and six times more than their entry level cameras? I find the price difference extremely hard to believe. So do I! I cannot imagine buying an EOS-1Ds Mk II or some such camera, not unless someone else was paying for it ;-)! Now, I do not have the money to buy a $7,000 camera, but even if I could, I would probably feel I was being ripped off! New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: Digital Leica M8?
--- Adam Maas [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: there is a very distinct difference between the R3a and the M7, mostly in build. Now a Zeiss Ikon (at around $1500USD) on the other hand... Isn't the Zeiss Ikon basically the same camera as the Bessa, but marketed as a Zeiss by Hasselblad? New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: Digital Leica M8?
--- Shel Belinkoff [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Yes and a friend has the R3. QC stinks. I'm sorry to hear that. I thought it looked like a nice camera, considering its low price. --- Adam Maas [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Frankly, when the Leica costs more than an F6, there's a problem. I agree completely. I can see an M7 costing perhaps $2000. But $3500 is, I am afraid, just far too much... Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
K100D Review
Here is a good (English) K100D review from Slovenia: http://www.e-fotografija.com/artman/publish/article_1154.shtml A very impressive performance. I am especially impressed by the high ISO performance which looks even better than my C*non 20D (and that is pretty good). Unless there is something REALLY compelling about the K10D, I think I will buy one of these. Irresistible for the price... New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: Digital Leica M8?
--- Digital Image Studio [EMAIL PROTECTED]: They are made in the heart of Europe, not the Philippines And the Voigtlanders are made in the heart of Japan... Same difference. New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: K100D Review and Commentary by Mike Johnston
I did enjoy Mike's review, but I am surprised to hear that he finds something deficient about the high ISO capability of the K100D. It should be just as good as any other camera - or at least its *ist-series predecessors were. I am going to send him an e-mail and ask him to elaborate on this point. New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: Digital Leica M8?
--- Bob Shell [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: They will sell a special hand-hammered titanium one as an accessory for $ 500.00 and another one with Hermes designed silk covering for $2,000.00. Don't give them any ideas ;-)! This is why I have little respect these days for Leica. It seems to me that they build cameras only for rich camera collectors, not for actual photographers. I cannot respect any camera that is manufactured specially to sit in someone's collection, rather than to actually be used as a camera. For that matter, even as a collectible, I do not see the value of a camera made specially to be collected - it is as though the camera has not earned the right to be a valuable collectible! Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: Digital Leica M8?
--- Digital Image Studio [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: a user can buy a bog stock body, granted they are expensive but not unreasonably so. From BH: Leica M7: $3,495 Voigtlander Bessa R3A: $549.95 Is the M7 really worth more than more than SIX times the price of the R3A? I find this extremely hard to believe. There is no doubt that Leica can produce some magnificent glass and even excellent cameras. Unfortunately, I find their prices to be absolutely outrageous... New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: Canon v Sony
--- Thibouille [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Well, KM/Sony is even worse IMO... The A100 has disappointing image quality, but I think the body itself is not bad. Not really special, but certainly not bad. It is a reasonable size, seems comfortable to hold and fairly well-built. I have only played with it a little but it's OK. I think it is a lot nicer than the 300D or 350D and probably the 400D too. These bodies are my absolute least favorite modern D-SLR bodies, except maybe for some of Olympus' odd creations (e.g. the E-300 which is about as pleasant to hold as a brick). They are cheaply made and have maddeningly poor ergonomics. This is, of course, done entirely on purpose. Aside from speed, the only reasons to buy a 10D, 20D or 30D over a 300D, 350D or 400D respectively are build quality and ergonomics. I don't like the ergonomics of my 20D, but I can live with them. I don't think I could shoot with a 300/350/400D, the ergonomics would drive me mad! I will take any entry level body from Pentax, Nikon or KM/Sony before these awful Canons. New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: Turbulent age
--- K.Takeshita [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: However, Sony brand should be really at work here. I agree... In fact in most respects the Minolta 5D was a better camera than the Alpha, but it did not have the Sony name and also the 10 MP figure which attracts customers (it was after all the first 10 MP camera in its class, albeit by a small margin). Notice that Canon have updated the Rebel to 10 MP when the 30D and 1D Mk II N are still 8 MP, this shows that in their mind the people who care most about pixel count are consumers buying the entry-level models (aside from pros who use top-end cameras like 1Ds MK II and who buy top-end glass to take advantage of all those pixels). Overwhelming market domination by big 2 is not only unhealthy but deterimental to us all, the consumers. I agree! I am glad to see Nikon doing so well now as well, for a while it was beginning to look as though Canon would become the ONLY significant player in the market. Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: Useless Gearhead Quiz
--- Scott Loveless [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: What have you used? I can't remember everything I've USED, so I'll stick to owned: Film: Cheap Fujifilm PS Pentax ME (still have) Nikon N60 aka F60 Nikon N90s aka F90x Digital: Olympus C-2100UZ Nikon D1 Olympus E-1 Canon EOS 20D (still have) Favorite camera... The ME. New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: Turbulent age
--- K.Takeshita [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: It looks like the market in Japan is now tangling up. http://bcnranking.jp/flash/09-9669.html This is very interesting... Canon has obviously had a VERY precipitous drop in sales. That said, they are supposedly set to introduce a 10 MP Rebel at Photokina. This is bound to be a big seller. I do believe that the Nikon D70/D70s remains the best-selling digital SLR of all time (as well as the best -selling SLR - film OR digital - in Nikon history) and I can easily see the D80 taking up that mantle. Like the D70 it offers exceptional value for money. But the upcoming K10D promises to be even better for the same price. Let's just hope Pentax can convince the public of it! New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Full Frame/Canon
--- Aaron Reynolds [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I really don't get what's being said here -- old, film optimized lenses perform well on the full frame Canons, as evidenced by the L series? Define well ;-). Even the best film-optimized Canon glass cannot take advantage of the full-frame sensors. In particular, edge performance on wide-angle lenses tends not to be very good. Am I missing something? Has the L series been around for a long, long time, or are we just talking about how well NEW lenses perform? L has been Canon's designation for their pro lenses for a very long time indeed, at least since the late FD-mount era. Today's current-production L lenses are of course totally different from the ones made 10, 20 or 30 years ago. Canon lens designs are continually renewed and rarely is a lens design in production for more than a decade or so (and that was in the film era). My 17-40mm f/4L gives great performance on my 20D (APS-C sized sensor) but obviously it would not do as well on a 1Ds Mk II... Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: D1H
Dave, Good luck with your new (old) D1H. The D1H, really, is a D1 with all the problems fixed :-). Until the advent of in-body SR, it might have been the best low-light camera available. I think it still probably has the lowest noise levels of any DSLR because of those HUGE pixels. My D1 (a Nikon refurb) was, unfortunately, defective. It had horrible banding problems. I was told by people on DPReview that this was a known problem and I needed to have the something-or-other (oscillator sticks in my mind) replaced. Just out of curiosity, I sent an e-mail to Nikon nicely detailing the problem. Their response was downright nasty. I'd already made up my mind to give back the D1, but the nastiness of their response did help influence my decision not to buy a D70... Today I would not buy a D1-series beacuse it has those huge, heavy NiMH batteries. But then, the current (!) pro Canons still have the same batteries, amazingly... Anyhow, I'm now so smitten with the idea of in-body SR that I can't see myself buying another Nikon OR Canon for a long time. New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: K100D vs. XT
--- Gaurav Aggarwal [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Coming out of the lurking mode, I would like to get your views/opinion on K100D vs. Canon Rebel XT Personally I would much rather have a K100D. I am not at all fond of the XT; it is a plasticky, cheaply-built camera with awful (IMHO) ergonomics. Image quality is very good, but so is the K100D's. The K100D is better built, smaller, better ergonomics, better viewfinder, etc. The only real advantage of the XT that I can see is that it is faster (though no camera in this class is REALLY fast), and also if it matters to you there are some Canon lenses that don't have equivalents in the Pentax system (e.g. tilt/shift lenses). Unless speed matters or you need one of those specialty lenses, I would say the Pentax is a much better choice - it is less expensive and better in many respects. And how would you compare the kit lens of the two? I don't think either one is going to be too great, but the Canon kit lens has an AWFUL reputation. Cheap Canon lenses are generally not very good - in the Canon system you have to go to pretty expensive stuff to get good optical quality. The canon kit can be upgraded to 17-85mm which is supposedly quite good. What would be a similar upgrade on the Pentax? I'm afraid the Canon 17-85mm also has a reputation as a bit of a dog. For about the same price you should be able to get the Canon 17-40mm f/4L which is a much, much better lens (I have one on my 20D). The Pentax equivalent would be the 16-45mm f/4 which is also supposed to be excellent. Of course the Canon 17-40mm doesn't have image stabilization which the 17-85mm does. But the K100D's in-body shake reduction means you don't have to pay extra for stabilized lenses! The Pentax 16-45mm costs about half the price of the Canon 17-40mm - this gives you an idea how much less expensive Pentax lenses are on average. Good Canon glass is NOT cheap. The stabilization is the only reason to buy the 17-85mm - I certainly wouldn't choose it for its optical quality. In the Canon system I would really only consider the 17-40mm; if it's too expensive for you, you might want to look at third-party alternatives like the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8. I'd also suggest that if you haven't, you might want to look at Nikon. The D50 or D70s with the 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5 is another very nice combination (but no image stabilization). I prefer Pentax for the in-body shake reduction but otherwise the Nikons are very nice cameras. They have much better build quality and ergonomics than the Rebel. Aside from the SR, I'd say the D70s is probably the nicest D-SLR in its class and is now substantially less expensive with the announcement of the upcoming D80 (10 MP). New Doug (Canon user switching to Pentax) __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: Nikons
--- David J Brooks [EMAIL PROTECTED]: Easy lads. I have the D1, D2H, D200 and just put a bid in for a D1H. I'll admit it, I really like Nikons a lot. My first D-SLR was a D1. Even though it was big and heavy, I REALLY liked it. Unfortunately, it was also defective and I couldn't get another one. At the time the camera I REALLY wanted was the D1H (still current then, I believe), not for its speed but because it had incredibly low noise levels and it wasn't a Canon ;-). I bought an Olympus E-1 and then a Canon 20D (my current camera) instead of a D70. If I were to do it again, I'd have chosen the D70 instead of the E-1 and possibly even instead of the 20D. (The 20D probably has marginally better image quality but the D70 is a LOT easier to use. The more I use my Canon, the less I like its control layout...) Now, of all D-SLR bodies out there today, I think the D200 is the nicest; it has the build quality and control layout of a D1/D2 series without the huge size. (Actually, I don't care too much about the size; it's the weight... And I do realize that the D2 series are much lighter with their lithium batteries. As you doubtless know, the NiMH batteries in the D1 series weigh a TON. I can't believe Canon's current pro bodies still use these!!!) Unfortunately the D200's a bit noisy - though at least Nikon's NR is fairly effective; the Sony A100 with the same sensor is much, much worse! - and Nikon have relatively few VR lenses (and they're expensive). I have heard rumors that the K10D might be similar in size and build to the D200. If that were true, I'd be thrilled... Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: Newman
--- Doug Franklin [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Or we could just call you Newman ... you're not a postal carrier, by chance, I don't suppose? :-) No, I'm not :-). I am, however, Paul Newman's grandson. But not THAT Paul Newman ;-)... Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: Nikons/K10D
--- Pål Jensen [EMAIL PROTECTED] said: It is significantly smaller than the D200 and will give better image quality. Smaller is OK, so long as it is not BIGGER :-). I have heard it will be a metal body with weather-sealing; if so I guess that would put it roughly on par with the D200 build-wise. Of course, better image quality is ALWAYS welcome. At low ISOs the D200 looks OK but it is very noisy at high ISOs. However, it still looks better than the Sony A100 whose image quality is rather disappointing. New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Nikon/K10D
--- Adam Maas [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: The K10D is likely going to be similar in size to the D80, with build in between the D80 and D200. The D80 (I have not paid much attention to it) is similar in size to the D70? I can live with that. The D70 feels like it is built fairly decently, if the D80 is similar again that is OK though I doubt the D80 will be any better built than an *ist DS/DL/K100 series camera all of which seem pretty solid. What I would really like to see is a metal body (for no reason other than that I like the way it feels!) and especially weather-sealing. I always feel a slight bit of nervousness taking my 20D out in the rain even though I know it can handle it... I never felt that with the sealed Olympus E-1 (which was beautifully built and had excellent ergonomics but a pathetically bad Kodak sensor). I'd expect the K10D to also be at least a bit better, although likely not as good as a D50 or the 20D. If it is, say, one stop worse than the 20D, I can live with that since shake reduction makes up for it. Any worse than that and the difference would be big enough for me to buy a K100D which should be very similar in noise levels to the 20D. As for the D50, I know it is supposedly about the lowest-noise camera out there, but I actually find its noise more noticeable than the D70/D70s. The D70 has VERY fine-grained noise which looks more like film grain than thse noise from a lot of other digital cameras. You can see the difference very clearly here: http://digitalcamera.impress.co.jp/06_02/auth/toku1/index_iso.htm Of all the 6 MP Sony sensor cameras listed there, I would say the D70 looks subjectively best. The D50, the two Pentaxes, and the two Konica Minoltas all appear to have LESS noise than the D70, but it is, to stick with the grain metaphor, larger grain than the D70's. I guess the technical way to say this would be that the D70 appears to have more luminance noise but less chroma noise than the others. Interestingly, this is the approach Nikon took with the rather noisy D200 and even noisier D2x which have virtually no chroma noise at all but LOADS of luminance noise. Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: Diesel Cars OT
--- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Huh??? virtually any diesel car will run on significantly less. Very true, but there are very few diesel cars sold in the US! In the 2007 model year there will be ONE (!) diesel car sold here, a Mercedes-Benz E-class. And you cannot buy them in California, Maine, Massachusetts, New York or Vermont because we have higher emissions standards than the other 45 states and no diesel cars meet them. The 2008 diesel E-class is supposed to meet the standards in all 50 states. Part of the problem is that the latest emissions systems used in diesels, which would allow them to have emissions levels low enough to sell them in all the US states, need to be recharged every so often. US Federal law says that all emissions equipment must last at least 100,000 miles without needed any service, something that these systems currently can't meet. Supposedly the one in the 2008 E-class will be the first to comply with the 100,000 mile rule. This system was actually supposed to be installed in the 2007 E-class but it is not ready yet. Up until 2006, Volkswagen also sold diesel cars in the US. They will not sell them in 2007; they will start selling them again once they have their own system that can be sold in all 50 states. The VW Golf and Jetta were the last diesel cars you could buy in CA, ME, MA, NY and VT, in around 2003 or so. The E-class diesel hasn't been sold here since the 1990s. Even with the regulatory changes ,it is still likely that relatively few diesel cars will be sold in the US because American consumers tend not to like diesel cars. In the 1970s during the fuel crisis, diesel cars were quite popular here in the US but of course in those days they were rather smelly, noisy and slow compared to petrol cars. Our own General Motors made diesel cars in the 1980s - using an existing petrol engine design which was converted to run diesel - and they were especially bad; together with the collective experience in the 1970s, this left Americans with a bad impression of diesel cars. Americans still have these two bad memories stuck in our collective mindset so most will not consider a diesel car. New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: Nikon/K10D
--- Dario Bonazza [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I think the K10D will be metal inside and plastic on the outside, just like all previous Pentax DSLR's. This is fine, there is just something about the feel of metal though :-). Yes, it is rumored it will have some kind of sealing. I like that. But are there any sealed Pentax lenses? Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: K10D
--- John Forbes [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I think you can be pretty certain that if it is smaller it won't be bigger. Of course. When I joined this group I should have mentioned that I am unfortunately a very fast typist. This means I type faster than I think :-o... New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: K10D/ist D
--- Adam Maas [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Actually, it's notable smaller than the D70 I guess I should have read Phil Askey's preview more closely. The *istD had the best noise quality of all the cameras I've shot with extensively When I bought my E-1 I also considered the D70 and the *ist D. I knew the D was the best camera of the bunch but I found its hand grip much too shallow. I'd have bought it otherwise. New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
New Member
Dear All, As you might have guessed from the subject line (!), I am a new member. I recently found this esteemed list from a reference on DPReview. I currently own a Canon 20D and am preparing to switch to Pentax, either to a K100D or possibly the upcoming K10D (not the K10D if it turns out to be noisy like the Nikon and Sony 10MP DSLRs). I am fortunate enough to be able to travel a fair amount in my spare time and my camera goes everywhere I do. It is important to me that a camera be (relatively) lightweight and because I often can't carry a tripod and need to shoot in low-light situations, I've been attracted to Pentax's system largely by the in-camera shake reduction which I see as a must have feature. However, I am not completely new to the Pentax fold. (Note: long, boring story to follow. You may want to quit reading here and move on to the next post ;-). I write this only as a matter of record so as to get out of the way questions about my background etc.!) My first real camera - OK, it wasn't really mine per se - was a Pentax ME with the 50mm f/1.7 lens. This was, as the saying goes, long ago and far away, when I was ten years old and my parents took me on a trip to London. It was my first time to Europe and they bought me a cheap fixed-focus Fujifilm point and shoot to bring with me. This is something they may have later come to regret ;-)! I quickly discovered that I liked photography a lot and moreover seemed to have a natural aptitude for it, so when we returned home, my dad loaned me his old ME. He had succumbed to the convenience of point-and-shoots (shock horror!) so it had gone unused and I suppose he saw no harm in letting me play around with it. (I should point out at this point that my paternal grandfather was a very serious photographer, using a various Leica rangefinders, Rollei TLRs and Nikon SLRs among others. I don't think he ever owned a Pentax though.) I was delighted with the ME and used it for several years - learning the basics of photography in the process - before I decided to invest in a brand new AF SLR. At the time I didn't know a great deal about cameras but I had narrowed it down to the Canon EOS Elan II, Minolta Maxxum 600si and Pentax ZX-5N. (Sorry, I don't know just what these were called outside the US!) They seemed to be good middle of the road cameras and they were at the vanguard of a revolution: they went back to analogue controls (dials) after the electronic control frenzy of the late 1980s and early 1990s. This appealed to me very strongly. I didn't even consider Nikon; their offering in that class at the time was the infamous N70, whose control interface could only have been designed by a sadist. (It was soon replaced by the much more conventional N80, a camera I certainly would have considered had it been available at the time.) Alas, the local photo shop salesman convinced me that these cameras were serious overkill for someone buying his first AF SLR. I was (very) young and impressionable and didn't know much at all about AF SLRs or even cameras in general, so I figured that perhaps he was right after all and I would've been over my head with one of my original choices. He showed me a Canon Rebel, a Minolta XTsi (I think), a Nikon N60 and a Pentax ZX-7. He pushed the Canon - kickbacks, I can only assume - but I immediately dismissed it and the Minolta as much too cheap and plasticky feeling. I'm a very tactile person and I hate anything that feels cheap. This left the Nikon and the Pentax for me to consider. The Nikon felt a a bit chunkier and more sturdily built - the N60 /was/ a pretty sturdy camera, about the only thing it had going for it - and not knowing enough to figure out the other differences, I went with the Nikon. If my naïveté at the time was not already apparent, the fact that I chose the N60 has probably made it pretty obvious now ;-)! If any of you here have ever had the misfortune of using an N60, you undoubtedly know it was an absolutely miserable camera, solidly made but crippled by a very awkward control interface (even though it /looked/ a lot like the F100's) and the most woeful AF system you could imagine. (I'd have focused manually, but trying to manually focus my new Nikon AF lenses was an excercise in futility...) After not very long, I realized the N60 was a piece of junk, so I looked to upgrade. I considered switching manufacturers, offered a really good deal on a just-discontinued Nikon N90s and it seemed exceptionally nice for the price, so I bought it. And indeed, it was an excellent camera. The N60 had taught me a lot about modern cameras, and I was able to appreciate the excellence of the N90s. At the time I had my AF Nikons, my dad owned an Olympus C-2020Z digital PS (or digital rangefinder as Olympus preferred). One day, purely out of curiosity, I borrowed it from him and immediately got hit by the digital bug. Being able to instantly see what I'd shot and to re-shoot if I didn't like it seemed like absolute
Re: Printer Recommendations?
--- Juey Chong Ong [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: The newer R series clogs less than the older models. So they've either improved the ink formulation and/or head, or older printers just tend to clog more often. The newer printers have entirely different ink. For one thing, some the latest ones all use pigment-based ink while most of the older models (e.g. the 1280) used dye-based inks. In theory I would think the pigment-based ink should clog more easily, but perhaps it's the opposite... New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: New Member
Dear All, Thanks for your warm welcome. It's not often that I come across a place with so many Dougs! I'll go as New Doug from now on and hopefully we will not have any more Dougs in the future :-). New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: New Member
--- Bob W [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Although with 3 of them the PDML is starting to resemble Scaramanga... Being a Doug I probably should know this, but have they got a lot of Dougs in Skaramanga? I don't think I've ever met a Greek called Doug. New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: New Member
--- Bruce Dayton [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hey now, wait a minute! It took a while to get the Nikonian Bruce R. off the list so I could be the only one. Hmm, actually, I have a good friend named Bruce who uses a Nikon (F80), but he is not a Bruce R... My Bruce hasn't gone digital yet so when I finally convince him to do it I will have to make sure he ges a K-something-D that way he can join this list and drive everyone up the walls with his name ;-)! New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: Car Colors
--- Godfrey DiGiorgi [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: The names of the colors in car brochures really make me laugh Indeed, one wonders how many people there are in the world whose job it is just to think up colors for car paint. Oh, and carpeting... Kitchen countertops... Wall paint... And everything else that comes in colors! Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: Car Colors
--- Douglas Newman [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Doug Sorry, meant New Doug of course! Forgot my new name ;-)! New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
Re: PDML Digest, Vol 4, Issue 187
--- Bob W [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Scaramanga - the Man with the Golden Gun - had a superfluous papilla. 3 dugs... Ah, got it :-). New Doug __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
