AI postprocessing-how much is too much?
Best of Pentax Forums Newsletter August 13, 2025
How Much Photoshop AI is too much?
Pentaxians agree that that AI camera improvements are a good thing; 52% voted AI is OK for camera improvements such as subject recognition, improved autofocus and exposure. What about Photoshop’s AI tools, then? (Or similar tools in other photo editing software.) The Eraser tool is ok, isn’t it? What about the Spot Healing Brush?
What about AI Remove Background? AI Replace Background? Generative Fill? Where do you draw the line? Vote in this week’s poll, and let us know why you do that voodoo you do so well in the comments!
Elsewhere in this week’s newsletter, Pentaxian jcdoss gets long with the SMC Pentax-A* 300mm F2.8 ED [IF] and the SMC Pentax-A* 600mm F5.6 ED [IF]; Senior Member Jeff Bennett shares his new old camera, the Kowa SW scale focus camera; and Loyal Site Supporter BertieK gets The Zeiss Look with his Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm F2.
If you’ve been forwarded this newsletter, please take a moment to join the more than 1,500 Pentaxians who have subscribed to our free curated compendium of the hundreds of great images and post shared each week in our Pentax community. Please let us know your thoughts here in the comments and on our Pentax Forums, and have a perfect Pentaxian week!
Threads of the Week:
New to Pentax but far from new to DSLRs from Canada Eh?
August 6, 2025 • Welcomes and Introductions • 14 replies • 192 views
Darkrider said — Greetings I stumbled upon this forum while searching for battery information for a recently purchased K200D. The K200D itself was a purchase in response to an "oops" on ebay with a lens purchase. The lens itself is a Promaster Spectrum 7 that was listed as a Canon EF lens. Upon receiving it i learned it matched neither the EF mounts on my Canons nor the F mounts on my various Nikons. Read more »
I’ve wanted one of these for a while.
August 9, 2025 • Vintage Cameras and Equipment • 2 replies • 383 views
Jeff Bennett said — IT ARRIVED!!!!!! Kowa SW scale focus camera. Looks better than I expected. Shutter fires. Viewfinder isn’t horrible. I still want to have it cla’d. Any suggestions who will agree to do it? That’s the thing with oddball cameras. Read more
August 11, 2025 • Lens Sample Photo Archive • 22 replies • 208 views
pepperberry farm said — Volna - 9: this is an M42-mount, Soviet-era 50mm f2.8 macro lens (on the right is my copy of the SMC A 50mm f2.8 Macro) Read more »
Pentaxian User Reviews
Pentax Lenses
SMC Pentax-A* 300mm F2.8 ED [IF]
Reviewed by Pentaxian jcdoss
Review Date: August 12, 2025 Recommended | Price: $1,000.00 | Rating: 10
Pros:Super sharp, fast, bokeh, contrast Cons:Weight
My copy suffers from poor abuse, as it has some light scuffs on the coatings of the front element. However, image quality does not seem affected as the lens is crazy sharp at all apertures. The lens is heavy, but handholdable, and the focus ring can easily be turned with a single finger. It is twice as heavy than the Sony equivalent 300mm f2.8 prime, but is a little smaller, and it bears mentioning that the Sony lens is essentially the only modern equivalent available at this length and aperture.
I haven't had this lens for very long, but I do have a few photos taken with it here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jcdoss/albums/72177720314070032/
I also use the lens once in a while with the 1.4x-L Converter-A, and images taken with this combo can be seen here:
SMC Pentax-A* 600mm F5.6 ED [IF]
Reviewed by Pentaxian jcdoss
Review Date: August 12, 2025 Recommended | Price: $1,700.00 | Rating: 8
Pros: Sharp, internal focus, built-in hood, handles well
Cons: Tripod mount, size and weight
In the days of mirrorless cameras with reduced registration distances, a 600mm lens of this size, despite being much smaller and lighter than f4 designs, is questionable. However, for the K-mount, Pentax's A* series of optics are simply excellent. I have several and all amaze me regularly. The A*600 is no exception. It is sharp with good contrast and bokeh, and the lens can be managed even handheld due to the focus ring being easy to manipulate with one finger. The lens is still heavy and relatively large compared to modern lenses like the Nikkor Z 600mm f6.3 which weighs less than half this A* lens. Even the Nikkor Z 600mm f4 comes in at 3260g, which is very slightly lighter than this manual focus lens. For Pentax fans and collectors, however, this lens can deliver great results, albeit with more effort compared to modern options.
I have an online gallery with a few images available for your viewing pleasure here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jcdoss/albums/72177720308029936/
I use the lens periodically with the 1.4x-L Converter-A which produces little if any image degradation. A few images from that combo can be seen here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jcdoss/albums/72177720317860804/
Third-Party Pentax Lenses
Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm F2
Reviewed by Loyal Site Supporter BertieK
Review Date: August 11, 2025 Recommended | Price: None indicated | Rating: 10
Pros: Sharpness, Microcontrast - The Zeiss Look Cons: None
Sharpness: 10 Handling: 10 Value: 10 Camera Used: K-3iii Monochrome; K200D
Comment of the Week:
Loyal Site Supporter UncleVanya on This is not photography: I’m sorry - but this left the realm of photography retouching and moved into artistic creation. I can allow that people can make edits to enhance a scene and even make it unrecognizable but at the core it’s about a scene that had a source of light from a particular source and location. Removing that and then rendering a new image from a neural network is no longer photography in my mind. Let me also say - this will be abused. The authenticity of images is already harder than ever to prove. This pushes the bar even lower - deep fakes with realistic lighting to show they were made at a location at the time claimed. Sigh.
How Much Photoshop AI can you tolerate?
The Best of Pentax Forums August 13 Poll
Pentaxians agree that that AI camera improvements are a good thing; 52% voted AI is OK for camera improvements such as subject recognition, improved autofocus and exposure, according to the August 6 Best of Pentax Forums poll. I'd go as far as everything is allowed until the point that the data is read from the sensor, said Senior Member gwboes. After that every AI based alteration has to be curated and approved by the artist.
What about Photoshop’s AI tools, then? (Or similar tools in other photo editing software.) The Eraser tool is ok, isn’t it? What about the Spot Healing Brush?
What about AI Remove Background?
What about AI Replace Background? Generative Fill?
Where do you draw the line? Vote in this week’s poll, and let us know why you do that voodoo you do so well in the comments!
This poll closes August 19
And here are the results of last week’s poll:
Weekly Photo Challenges
Weekly Challenge #709 Your Best Summertime Garden
Posted By: Kerrowdown: Thanks to gump for last weeks Challenge. This week the theme is "Your Best Summertime Garden". Something we must all have experienced at some point over the year(s), as this is an truly International forum... lets see what you got. This Challenge will end 20:00 GMT Saturday 16th August 2025, for judging next day.
And here’s the entry from Pentaxian atupdate: Nature's Garden - Wegeryzn Gardens Metropark.
A Walk Down Memory Lane
Pentax Q Review Oct 23, 2011
Overview
The Pentax Q is the first mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Camera (ILC) from Pentax and the smallest camera of its kind (as of Oct. 2011). The Q uses the new back-lit sensor technology which promises to produce an image quality comparable to a much larger traditional sensor. In this review we shall examine that claim by comparing the Q to an Olympus four thirds camera, the Olympus PEN Lite E-PL3. Both cameras have a 12MP sensor and come in a kit with a prime lens which is what we will use for the comparison of image quality.
Is the Q too small to handle well? We will also examine that aspect and compare with the Olympus. For the Pentax Q we will go beyond a mere comparison with the Olympus and review the camera and the Q system in-depth including the five lenses which are available.