Are you chasing a new sensation?
Best of Pentax Forums Newsletter August 20, 2025
Or Do You Enjoy The Same Old Song
In my early days as a photojournalist I never spent 30 days in the same country. And every day I pointed my camera at something I’d never seen before: The People Power Revolution in the Philippines; F-4 Phantoms hurled by the USS Midway’s catapults into the perfect dark night somewhere in the Sea of Japan; 500 or so identically dressed Japanese Elvises synchronized dancing on the streets of Harajuku; the launch of the space shuttle Challenger on an early successful mission.
These days I photograph the same things, day after day: the same stretches of wooden fence; the Sidewalk Judge statue on Grapevine’s Main Street; the same wooden gates.
How about you? Do you never photograph the same thing twice? Or do you haunt the same familiar subjects? 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, Forum Member Q Fan has a PENTAX-110 50mm F2.8 with a washer on his Pentax Q7; Pentaxian jcdoss reviews his cyclopean SMC Pentax 15mm F3.5; and Forum Member Angus_M89 feels spoiled by his Pentax 645.
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:
Just when I thought I was out...
August 16, 2025 • Pentax DSLR Discussion • 9 replies • 548 views
MXLX said — I'll spare you the recitation of my film days (and of my recent re-entry into such). And of my medium-format proclivities. I think the first one was a K-5, then K-3, and on the influence others here, a K10D...and then another. A K-1, short lived, then the siren song of a K-1ii silver edition. Then a *istDL that I got essentially for free, and is too good to let go for what I have in it. The K10Ds and the K-1ii were not getting enough use, so to new homes they went. I had assembled a startling collection of lenses for the big K, so once the body left, the lenses got put up for sale.
But, I ended up with a DA* 200 and an irix 11mm that were seemingly orphaned. I couldn't have that, and couldn't bring myself to take the butt-whuppin' of selling them to a reseller, and there's not really anything I was looking at to trade for, so, THIS: Read more »
Show us your Speedlight (flash) collection
August 19, 2025 • Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras • 9 replies • 227 views
Driline said — So I searched for a thread containing flash collections but could find none. So I'll start one now. So what do you call your light making devices? Speedlight's or flash units? Does it really matter? I've got a total of 13 units that I've collected over the last 8 years or so. Read more »
How many times have you gone down the vintage "Lens Rabbit Hole"?
August 15, 2025 • Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras • 70 replies • 1942 views
Driline said — I know I have many times. I'll see a vintage lens that someone raves about and have to check out pricing on eBay or KEH or MPB and read all reviews. Maybe I'll try and purchase it or maybe I'll look at the 38 lenses I already own over 5 Name Brand SLR cameras ( Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Minolta, Pentax) and decide I don't really need another lens. GAS.....gear acquisition syndrome is real. Read more »
Pentaxian User Reviews
Pentax Lenses
PENTAX-110 50mm F2.8
Reviewed by Forum Member Q Fan
Review Date: August 16, 2025Recommended | Price: $55.00 | Rating: 10
Pros: Sharpness, even illumination, lack of distortion, bokeh, handling
Cons: Lack of an Iris is a feature, not a bug!
Sharpness: 10 Aberrations: 9 Bokeh: 10 Handling: 10 Value: 10
This review is of this lens adapted onto the Pentax Q7. Excellent in all respects, this lens has found new life in the Pentax Q system. I use it with a washer in the adapter so it is stopped down to about f5, the sweet spot for resolution and fringing. It does have an early form of multi-coating so flare is usually not a problem. I use it with a 2 inch deep hood, the results speaks for itself:
The lack of an iris does limit it a bit, but it also gives the user one less thing to worry about. It is light and compact for a full-frame equivalent field of view of 230mm. A joy to use. Focusing takes a bit of practice, but it is doable. For under $100 with adapter it can't be beat. I also have the 06 lens which is similar at its long end, but is more sterile (and fragile!)
SMC Pentax 15mm F3.5
Reviewed by Pentaxian jcdoss
Review Date: August 16, 2025 Recommended | Price: $940.00 | Rating: 8
Pros: Build, handling, built-in filters, striking appearance
Cons: Flare, huge exposed front element, expensive
When I decided to be a collector, I knew I had to have this lens. Such cool engineering in the days of film to produce something like this. Look at that front element! It's huge! The lens has stellar K-series build quality, including an all metal build with rubberized focusing ring and firm click-stops at the half step. The lens has a built-in filter system for BW film use, or I suppose if you wanted orange or yellow toned images, you could use them with any camera. There are also UV and skylight settings too. The lens is large and heavy, much more so than the DA15, but it was made for a larger imaging format in a different time. Image quality-wise, the lens has some problems. Sharpness is good in the center but it gets distorted and weak at the edges. Bokeh is somewhat busy. The lens is the most prone to flare among all my K, M, and A series lenses, but having said that, I kind of like the look of it when it happens. It is possible to get good images with it, but the ultra-wide focal length is difficult to work with knowing the image quality limitations that come with this lens. I have an image gallery with over two hundred images available for viewing here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jcdoss/albums/72177720308045908
Pentax Cameras
Pentax 645
Reviewed by Forum Member Angus_M89
Review Date: August 15, 2025 Recommended | Price: $100.00 | Rating: 9
Pros: IQ, handling, simplicity Cons:
Granted this is my first and likely only medium format camera, I would say my 645 has spoiled me against both 35mm and my K-1. Why? This camera, the lenses and the films produce amazing photographs. The handling, easiness to use and understanding of controls are very good. Yes it's bulkier than your 35mm Pentax cameras, maybe a bit more awkward than a heavy K-1 but it's medium format and the year is 1984. It's part of the character to have push buttons, small screens and poor backlighting.
I originally didn't like using it. I found it less easy to jump into than my 35mm cameras. I shot a few b&w rolls, re-read the manual a bit and then shot a roll of Kodak Gold 200. Instantly fell in love with the quality of warmth and resolution the overall combo can deliver. I have the SMC Pentax-A 645 45mm f2.8, SMC Pentax-A 645 120mm f4 Macro, SMC Pentax-A 645 80-160mm f/4.5.
I doubt I'll ever use this out and about on streets; it's big, heavy and loud. I prefer to take it out on dedicated landscape / astro sessions or candid family moments and events. I wish there was 220 film being produced! If mine broke / got stolen / was lost I'd be pretty upset and would likely get another. I don't think I'd upgrade to a digital 645, but might upgrade to another film version. If you're thinking about getting one, do it! You won't regret it.
Comment of the Week:
Pentaxian greyscale on How Much Photoshop AI can you tolerate? The Best of Pentax Forums August 13 Poll: Listening to photographers discuss post-processing always makes me think of Four Yorkshiremen. I'm not entirely sure why. (Okay, yes, I am.)
Personally, I don't see how using a tool like "AI Denoise" is morally, artistically, or creatively different from using highlight recovery or a clarity adjustment. (Aside from the fact that "artificial intelligence" doesn't exist outside of marketing departments, that is.) They're all black-box adjustments that we, the user, don't have insight into or full control over. That's far more nefarious than "AI" automatic selection tools, which is merely automating something that could be done by hand with time and skill.
…unless the complaint about "AI" is actually that people are now able to achieve good results without working hard enough for them? But then that isn't about photography, it's about gatekeeping.
But similarly, I don't understand the "I want to faithfully record reality" school of photography, either. First of all, reality is boring, and I already spend way too much time there. But mostly: it's impossible. Colour photography is fake – elaborately faked with math for digital, and elaborately faked with chemistry for film. Convincingly faked, yes, but it's always a recreation, not a reproduction. Choosing a camera, a lens, and a place to stand each radically changes how something is recorded. Every decision we make, including trying to be "accurate", is imposing ourselves on the image. So why try to be a visual stenographer when you could be a playwright? I don't get it, but then again, I don't get most things.
But whether someone wants to be a stenographer or a fabulist, or somewhere in between, have at it and have fun. I'll like what I like when I see other people's work for the results, not the process.
Are you hunting the shock of the new?
The Best of Pentax Forums August 20 Poll
In my early days as a photojournalist I never spent 30 days in the same country. And every day I pointed my camera at something I’d never seen before: The People Power Revolution in the Philippines; F-4 Phantoms hurled by the USS Midway’s catapults into the perfect dark night somewhere in the Sea of Japan; 500 or so identically dressed Japanese Elvises synchronized dancing on the streets of Harajuku; the launch of the space shuttle Challenger on an early successful mission.
These days I photograph the same things, day after day: the same stretches of wooden fence; the Sidewalk Judge statue on Grapevine’s Main Street; the same wooden gates.
In a forest full of them I photograph the same trees, day after day. I’m fascinated by the changing light as the seasons wax and wane, the interplay of light and shadow, watching things slowly grow, or fade.
How about you? Do you never photograph the same thing twice? Or do you haunt the same familiar subjects? 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 26
And here are the results of last week’s poll:
Weekly Photo Challenges
Posted By: MiguelATF: Thanks to Kerrowdown for last week's Challenge. This week the theme is "PARADES". I think we all love parades. I've been attending parades ever since I was a young child and, honestly, I never get tired of them. Watching people march down the street - or drive or ride down the street - playing instruments, singing, dancing, waving flags - every Parade is different and every one is entertaining, in its own special way. This Challenge is your chance to share your best or most favorite photographs from Parades you've attended... Let's see them!
This Challenge will end at Midnight on Sunday the 24th August 2025, in whatever international time zone you inhabit. Judging will happen the next day.
And here’s Pentaxian atupdate’s entry: Photographers aren't the only ones that like to show off their equipment.
A Walk Down Memory Lane
Ricoh GR III First Impressions Review
The 24-megapixel pocketable APS-C camera
By bdery in Hands-On Tests on May 8, 2019
The Ricoh GR III is an interesting release from Ricoh. Surprisingly popular for a niche product (some stores in Japan listed it as their best-selling camera in March 2019), it has a lot going for it. The GR line has gathered quite a following over the years, and this new addition follows in the tracks of its predecessors.
The Ricoh GR III is a camera that oozes quality. Its elegant design, numerous features and APS-C image quality, all contribute to make it an impressive product.
PentaxForum Front page stories Aug 13-19:
July "Mills and Factories" Contest Finalists Announced
Vote for the overall winner!
By PF Staff in Photo Contests on Aug 14, 2025
After the end of the nomination phase of last month's official Mills and Factories photo contest, we're now ready to announce our top 15 finalists! Click on the link below to view the photos in full size and cast your vote in the poll:
Vote for your favorite photo in the poll
As usual for our monthly photo contests, voting closes in a week, and then we'll announce the winners.