Pentax produces pretty perfect pictures!

Advantages: Great build quality, easy to use and good picture quality.
Disadvantages: No image stabalisation and no wide angle capability in the lens.

...As I am sure most Ciao members will now know, I am a professional photographer but as well as taking pictures I also hold photography seminars at my local camera club and over the last few years I have become somewhat of a target for sales persons asking me to try out their latest digital cameras and give talks and written reviews on them. I figured a couple of years back if I was going to be testing out all these cameras and doing reviews anyway then I may as well be posting them on Ciao and Dooyoo and making some money for charity which as you well know is what I do now. The latest camera to be handed to me is the Pentax Optio M60 and as you read on you will find that this little digital camera is a real breath of fresh air. For months now I have been handed very expensive digital point and shoot cameras that claim to be able...

thebigc1690 28.04.2009 (17.05.2009) · Read review
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Review of Pentax Optio M60

77Ltd - A fantastic lens.

Advantages: Sharp, Well built, Good looking.
Disadvantages: Purple fringing, Price.

...The Pentax FA77mm is one of the best lenses around. It combines excellent build quality, and a small size to create a world class lens - up with the likes of Zeiss, and Leica lenses. Its has great resolution throughout its aperture range. I have used the lens on an APS-C camera, but not yet a 35mm SLR, though have heard it performs just as well on both. Although wide open the corner resolution isnt fantastic, once stopped down the resolution is high all over the shot. The bokeh (Out of focus areas) is beautifully rendered by the 77Ltd, producing smooth backgrounds and excellent areas of shallow depth of field. Colour is vibrant and strong, and there are no odd blue or orange colour casts. Purple fringing sometimes occurs on APS-C digital SLRs, as with most lenses, but only in high contrast situations (Eg. Shooting trees against the light...

Ikillrocknroll 27.06.2008 · Read review
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Review of Pentax SMC FA - telephoto lens - 77 mm F/1.8

Pentax K1000

Advantages: Unlimited use
Disadvantages: Need to buy a flash separate

...In this age of high technology automatic electronic equipment it pays to take a step back to the simple things such as the Pentax K1000 camera. The fully manual 35mm SLR obviously requires complete user control but for the photographer who doesn’t want to be limited by a camera’s ability, this is the one for you. The only power needed is for the exposure meter from a small battery which is activated when the lens cap is removed. The built-in through-the-lens meter measures the average brightness of the ground glass at full aperture and then couples to the aperture, shutter and film speed settings. The shutter mechanism is completely manual meaning that the camera can still be used even when the battery is exhausted, with a little guess work for the exposure. The focal plane shutter extends from speeds B, 1 second to 1...

hakkved 09.03.2001 (07.03.2001) · Read review
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Review of Pentax K1000

Pentax K100D

Advantages: image quality,shake reduction, backwards lens compatibilty
Disadvantages: DSLR's are still too big

...Pentax K mount lenses ie open aperture metering and no 'A' setting. These will work in aperture priority mode but only at full aperture ie the lens isn't stopped down. That's fine for my 80-200mm which is f4.5. I still get an acceptable picture. I also planned on using my Chinon 50mm for portraits which is f1.9. To use the full aperture range you need to use manual mode (set the menu to allow use of aperture ring and depth of field preview to stop down the lens). When you use the depth of field preview (on the on/off switch) the camera stops the lens down and gives you a meter reading. You can adjust the exposure with the thumbwheel (or aperture ring) while stopped down. Not bad once you've got used to it and it allows you to use all those lenses you have. DISPLAY AND MENUS The 2.5 inch LCD is excellent. Pictures can be set to display...

bodyboarderdude 07.02.2007 · Read review
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Review of Pentax K100D

Life Through A Lens

Advantages: Friendly Atmosphere
Disadvantages: Not A Tourist Destination

...I am sure very few people will have heard of this place let alone have been to it. Those amongst us who are fans of the game of football may have come across the name from previous encounters with Arsenal and from the Fifa 2002 World Cup. However, not only is it famed for its football club but it provides the region with numerous activities for those passionate Frenchmen who have grown up here. To me Lens is a town from which my background is held in part. My mother was born in its vicinity and it remains the home of my grandparents; thus it holds a magic which is close to my heart. I have no doubt left you dear reader wondering where this review is heading, well... it is about time that we got on with the show... Location and Transport Links (the boring stuff) Lens is located in the North of France, the Pas-de-Calais region...

heideroosjes 29.01.2004 (28.01.2004) · Read review
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Review of Lens (France)

Canon Lens

Advantages: Lightweight
Disadvantages: None

...This is a good quality lens that offers good value for money. It's a great lens for any canon enthusiast and incorporates plenty of features that I would highly recommend. This really is a wonderful piece of kit that should go well with many accessories because it really looks good. After using this product for a few months I have not so far come up against any reliability issues but only time will tell. I therefore would recommend the product. However, always think carefully as to whether you actually really need something before you buy it. We buy so many things nowadays that we don't really need. Product Features * Product Description: Canon EF telephoto zoom lens - 70 mm - 300 mm * Lens System: Telephoto zoom lens * Mounting Type: Canon EF * Lens Aperture: F/4.0-5.6 * Focal Length: 70 mm - 300 mm...

Nazuku 13.11.2007 · Read review
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Review of Canon EF zoom lens - 70 mm - 300 mm F/4.0-5.6

Powerful Pentax

Advantages: Small, Light, Flexable, Excellent Results
Disadvantages: Fiddlely buttons

...I needed a digital camera for part of the NVQ work that I am doing at the moment and also thought it would be a good idea for my annual leave next week. There are so many digital cameras on the market that I was at a bit of a loss which to buy. My father has been a photographer of sorts for some time and has always recommended Pentax. The Pentax Optio immediately got my attention. It is tiny, about the size of a box of paracetamol in all dimensions. It has an aluminium body and is very classy to look at. I have been told that the case can be scratched very easily. I have had mine now for a month and I am not the most careful of people around and there is not a scratch in sight. By pressing the on/off button on the right hand side at the top of the camera, the zoom lens effortlessly glides outwards. Press it to off and the lens...

hakken_krakk 10.07.2004 · Read review
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Review of Pentax Optio S4

A lens for sport and wildlife

Advantages: Excellent over all range
Disadvantages: Weight and possibly cost

...The Sigma 50-500mm F4-6.3 APO AF/HSM zoom lens is a medium sized, medium weight and rather expensive lens. It is not a lens for anybody. But if your interest is in wildlife photography or sports photography then this is the lens for you. First the Technical aspects. High Performance Will fit Sigma, Mintola, Nikon, Pentax, and Canon Group/elements 16/20 Angle of view (degrees) 46.8 - 5 No of blades in diaphragm 9 Minimum focus 100-300/39.4 - 18.1 Magnification 1:5.2 Filter 86mm Dimension diameter x length (mm/in) 95x216/3.7x8.5 weight (g/oz)1859/65.2 It can be mounted on a wide variety of cameras. Best to make sure that Sigma makes the lens for your type of camera. I understand that it takes a different chip for each camera. A very useful feature is a Zoom lock. This revents zoom creep when the position...

Coloneljohn 25.10.2004 · Read review
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Review of Sigma 50-500mm F4-6.3 EX RF HSM lens

Me and my Pentax

Advantages: Handling, quality of results
Disadvantages: Frequent film changing

...threads, and serious damage to body panels - real tell-tales of a hard life which may have taken its toll of the big cloth shutter blinds. I can live without a power winder, and with only ten shots to a film, the lack of interchangeable backs doesn?t really count for anything. The ease of handling (it really is a Spotmatic on steroids) is wonderful: while landscapes are always better with a tripod, the Pentax is excellent in the studio for relatively-informal portraits - even if the shutter noise does tend to intimidate nervous subjects. Adding the accessory ?broomhandle? - a wooden grip for your left hand - increases the usability further, and could tempt the brave to use a medium-format camera for some action subjects. I?ve had some wonderful results - I have an early-series 105 mm. Lens, a mid-range 45 mm., and a recent 200 mm...

Dudler 26.11.2000 · Read review
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Review of Pentax 67

Cheap lens = cheap photos!

Advantages: Worst lens for a professional but good to start out with; cheap; easy to learn with;
Disadvantages: Worst lens for a pro, frontal element rotates,

...Must make this clear that it is the older version of 18-55mm before they upgraded it to fit the 450D and above. So 400D and below. When starting out in photography; most people get entry level camera body like 400D Canon EOS, this lens comes with the body to form the basic kit lens. As far as I know, you cannot purchase this lens officially with its boxes and such, you can buy one off Ebay for a reduced price of £50 or so without its boxes. Before purchasing the entire kit, you will have to realise that the lens will have to be replaced very soon as it does not perform as well as its counterparts such as Canon 24-105mm for example. So do not expect high quality photographs from this lens. The build quality is quite plastic-y and rather light, which made me uncomfortable with its seemingly fragility. The entire lens...

Annallon 03.07.2009 · Read review
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Review of Canon EF-S zoom lens - 18 mm - 55 mm F/3.5-5.6