Photography

Pentax K20D

When I finally went from 35mm to a DSLR, I was initially overwhelmed by the choices that I was confronted with. I had been using Canon AE-1's exclusively since High School and had a decent investment in lenses. But my loyalty was broken when I found that none of my lenses would work on a Canon DSLR. That one fact became my overriding criteria for researching a DSLR. When I found out that Pentax was capable of using every Pentax "K" mount lens and that image stabilization was built-in to the camera body (meaning that every lens is now image stabilized), I was pretty much sold. Add to that the build quality and 14.6 megapixel sensor (resulting in 4672x3104 images) and the deal was done.

Sensor	14.6 megapixel, 23.4x15.6mm CMOS
Lens/Zoom	Pentax KAF2 mount; compatible with all K mount lenses
LCD/Viewfinder	2.7", 230K-dot (76K-pixel) TFT LCD with Live View; Pentaprism optical viewfinder with diopter adjustment
Sensitivity	ISO 100-6400
Shutter Speed	30-1/4000 seconds
Shooting Modes	Green, Program, Sensitivity Priority, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, Shutter and Aperture Priority, Metered Manual, X Speed, Bulb, User
Scene Presets	N/A
White Balance Settings	Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent W, Fluorescent D, Fluorescent N, Flash, Color Temperature, Manual
Metering Modes	Multi, Center-Weighted, Spot
Focus Modes	AF Single, AF Continuous, Manual; Auto, User-Selected Point, Center
Drive Modes	Single, Continuous High, Continuous Low, Burst, Remote, Remote Continuous, Auto Bracket, Extended Bracket, Multi-Exposure, Interval
Flash Modes	On, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Slow Sync + Red-Eye, Trailing Curtain Sync, Wireless
Self Timer Settings	10 seconds, 2 seconds, Off
Memory Formats	SD, SDHC
Internal Memory	None
File Formats	JPEG, RAW (PEF/DNG)
Max. Image Size	4672x3104
Max. Video Size	N/A
Zoom During Video	N/A
Battery	Rechargeable lithium-ion, 740 shots
Connections	USB 2.0, video output, DC input, X-Sync socket, cable switch
Additional Features	Shake Reduction, Live View, Custom Image Functions, Dust Reduction System

BATTERY GRIP D-BG2

This battery grip doubles battery life with a rechargeable D-LI50 Lithium-ion battery cell, and it provides storage of a spare SD/SDHC memory card and infrared remote control. It features a vertical release button, depth of field preview switch, front and rear e-dials, and buttons for exposure lock, exposure compensation, as well as the green button. The D-BG2 is weather-sealed to protect your battery and stored accessories.

Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL Lens (kit lens included with camera body)

The SMC DA 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6 AL shows Pentax taking a refreshing approach to the kit lens concept, eschewing lightweight plastics and simplified construction in favour of a design which feels well-made and handles more like a real photographic tool than any of its competitors. From the metal lens mount to the proper manual focus ring and excellent lens hood, this 18-55mm exudes an aura of quality which is markedly lacking from other manufacturers’ offerings; and perhaps due to the luxury of not having to include aperture and focus motors or an image stabilisation unit into the lens, Pentax have managed to buck the trend and produce a lens which feels solid and is a joy to use. And it's not just the mechanical construction which is refreshingly different, the optical quality is also very respectable indeed.

Pentax 50-200mm f/4.0-5.6 ED DA-L Lens

Designed for exclusive use with Pentax KAF-mount digital SLR cameras including the *ist D and the *ist DS digital SLRs, the Pentax DA L 50-200mm f4-5.6 ED lens offers 4x zoom coverage in the telephoto range. Further, the lens features an angle of view from 31.5 degrees to 8.1 degrees (equivalent in focal length from 76.5mm to 306mm in the 35mm format).

The lens also incorporates an Extra-low Dispersion (ED) glass lens element (11-element/10-group optical construction) and two aspherical lens elements for true-to-life image reproduction and overall size reduction. The image circle in DA-series lenses is designed to perfectly match the 23.5mm x 15.7mm size of the CCD used in Pentax digital SLRs to optimize camera performance. The new design also contributes to a drastic reduction in size, weight and production cost, compared to 35mm-format counterparts with similar specifications.

Lensbaby 3G (with Lensbaby Macro Kit lenses, wide angle and telephoto conversion lenses)

The Lensbaby 3G SLR lens for DSLR Cameras combines an old-fashioned bellows camera with an up-tight tilt-shift lens, and the 3G allows photographers to lock the Lensbaby in a desired bent position simply by pressing a button. Then, using a traditional barrel focus mechanism, you can do fine focusing and precisely place the sweet spot of sharp focus before pressing the shutter release. Lensbaby selective focus SLR camera lenses take photos with one area in sharp focus, with that sweet spot surrounded by graduated blur. You can move the sweet spot of sharp focus anywhere in the photo by bending the flexible lens tubing.

The Lensbaby 3G features the same low dispersion, high refractive index, multi-coated optical glass doublet and the same flexible tubing as Lensbaby 2.0, but adds three focusing rails that emerge from the camera mount and pass through the focusing collar. A trigger button on the focusing collar releases three pins that engage the focusing rails and lock Lensbaby 3G in a bent position. Once Lensbaby 3G is locked into place, additional fine focus can be achieved by turning the barrel focusing ring, which moves the optic in and out like a normal manual focus lens. Also, in the locked position, you can make small adjustments to the placement of the sweet spot of focus by turning any combination of the three focusing rails.

While the Lensbaby 2.0 is a good choice for fluid, photojournalistic shots, the Lensbaby 3G plays well with pros who require precise focusing, complete control, and repeatability. Other features include:
• Focal length: About 50mm
• Minimum focus: 12 inches
• Apertures: f2, f2.8, f4, f5.6, f8, f11, f16, f22
• Aperture type: Interchangeable levitating aperture disks
• Automatic light metering is possible by shooting in aperture priority mode for almost all digital and film SLR camera bodies

Zenitar MC 80mm Tilt & Shift f2.8 (2008)

The Multicoated 80 mm Tilt/Shift telephoto lens has high quality precision CANON type Tilt &Shift mechanism. 11mm shift, 8 degree tilt and with 360 degree rotating plate capabilities enable the correction of perspective distortion necessary in interior and exterior architectural photography, and the depth of field control necessary in product photography. The effects of large-format camera movements can be obtained with TS ARAX lenses for 35mm cameras. This lens's excellent multicoated optics allow you make sharp, contrasty, colour perfect images. It has manual aperture control. The lens can be shifted 11mm from its normal position. The direction of the shift can be changed 360 degrees and locks at 12 angles.
mc80mm-tilt-shift-lens2

Pentax SMC FA 80-320mm/4.5-5.6 Lens

This is the perfect example of why I went with Pentax. I was able to get an older, long zoom lens fairly cheap off of Craigslist. There isn't really any information to speak of on the internet about this, but a lot of users seem happy with it on forums. So far, I've been pleased with the results.

And speaking of length, the Pentax has a factor of 1:1.54 compared to a 35mm. This means that this lens actually works out to a 123.2-492.8mm (almost 500mm of zoom).

Here's why - a crop factor (sometimes referred to as a "focal length multiplier", even though the actual focal length is the same) can be used to calculate the 35 mm equivalent focal length from the actual focal length. All APS-C variants are considerably smaller than 35 mm standard film which measures 36×24 mm. Sensor sizes range from 20.7×13.8 mm to 28.7×19.1 mm. Each variant results in a slightly different angle of view from lenses at the same focal length and overall a much narrower angle of view compared to 35 mm film.

PENTAX DA 10-17mm f/3.5-4.5 ED (IF) Fish-Eye Lens

Capture fisheye imagery with a 180-degree angle of view with the Pentax DA 10-17mm fisheye lens. Designed for the Pentax *ist series of digital SLR cameras, the lens creates images with an expanded perspective, including images with a creatively deformed outlook and a sharp pan focus that extends throughout the entire frame. The image circle in DA series lenses, meanwhile, is designed to perfectly match the 23.5 x 15.7mm size of the CCD used in Pentax digital SLRs to optimize camera performance. Plus, the new design contributes to a drastic reduction in size, weight, and production cost compared to 35mm counterparts with similar specifications. Additional features include a 35mm equivalent focal length of 15-26mm; new water- and oil-repellant super-protective (SP) lens coatings for easy cleaning; extra-low-dispersion (ED) glass for superior sharpness and color correction; and a responsive Quick Shift Focus System for switching instantly from autofocus (AF) to manual focus (MF).

• Lens construction: 10 elements in 8 groups
• Angle of view: 180 to 100 degrees
• Diaphragm: Fully automatic
• Blades: 6
• Minimum aperture: f/22-32
• Metering: TTL open-aperture meeting
• Minimum focusing distance: 0.46 feet
• Maximum magnification: 0.23x to 0.39x
• Dimensions: 2.8 inches in diameter
• Weight: 11.3 ounces

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