What's your fav Pentax Custom Image Mode?
Best of Pentax Forums Newsletter April 30, 2026
What’s your fav Pentax Custom Image Mode?
Digital photographers trade JPEG film emulation recipes like contestants in a chili cookoff. Pentax being Pentax, the company has taken its own path rather than following old film emulsions. So while there are some common ones like the K-3 III’s Reversal Film and Monochrome Custom Image modes, the interesting ones are very…Pentaxy things like Spring Rouge - HARUBENI and Summer Sky - KATEN. Are you a custom image user? Which one’s your fav? Vote in this week’s poll, and let us know how you do the voodoo you do so well in the comments!
Elsewhere in this week’s newsletter, Site Supporter Fontophagus takes a long look at the Tele-Takumar 300mm F6.3; New Member sailsailor says the SMC Pentax-DA 17-70mm F4 AL [IF] SDM is brilliant on his K-3 III; and New Member La Bikina reviews the Voigtländer SL COLOR-HELIAR 75mm F2.5.
If you’ve been forwarded this newsletter, please take a moment to join the almost 1,600 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:
April 25, 2026 • Welcomes and Introductions • 4 replies • 75 views
lumyn.log said — Greetings from Düsseldorf with a Quiet Ride by the Rhine ...Read more »
Guide for doing astro photography
April 23, 2026 • Pentax DSLR Discussion • 11 replies • 585 views
ilpostino said — I have wanted to start doing astro photography for ages. i have watched lots of tutorials on YouTube and lots of threads I have come across on this forum. Through various steps I made Copilot make a guide in PDF for what to do and how to do it. Read more »
April 28, 2026 • Vintage Cameras and Equipment • 4 replies • 182 views
Wylie said — I got given this a while ago and did not pay it much attention just put it away. I had a good look at it today and thought I would post some pics. It’s roughly about 100 years old, as far as I can work out it’s the first model but the second version of it 1919-1926. Read more »
Pentaxian User Reviews
Pentax Lenses
Tele-Takumar 300mm F6.3
Reviewed by Site Supporter Fontophagus
Review Date: April 25, 2026 Recommended | Price: $157.00 | Rating: 10
Pros: Light, solid build, IQ Cons: Long min focus distance
Sharpness: 9 Aberrations: 7 Bokeh: 9 Handling: 8 Value: 8 Camera Used: Pentax K1ii
Firstly a disclaimer that I judge this lens so highly solely in the context of what it is and not some objective standard, also your mileage may vary as it is a very old lens and unseen things could have happened to it, influencing its performance.
The lens is of a very solidly build, no wobble anywhere after 50+ years (unlike my almost new FA50/1.4 Classic), its surprisingly sharp even wide open, tho I’d recommend to stop down a bit to eliminate some of its chromatic aberrations. 6.3 is slow and so be prepared to either shoot on higher iso or just shoot in sunny conditions. One major problem it has is its min focusing distance of 5m, when you can’t even get a normal bird portrait on full frame, due to this I barely use it on the K1. When I do, I take macrotubes with me if i want to take closeups, which is not ideal. It gets more use on my GH5, together with a speedbooster, where this is not such a problem due to the crop factor. Its size is a major advantage and you can bring it as a secondary in places when you would not be able to justify the DA*300 for example.
SMC Pentax-DA 17-70mm F4 AL [IF] SDM
Reviewed by New Member sailsailor
Review Date: April 25, 2026 Recommended | Rating: 9
Pros: Brilliant with a top camera - K3-III Cons: Poor with a regular camera - K20D
Sharpness: 10 Aberrations: 9 Bokeh: 9 Autofocus: 10 Handling: 10 Value: 8 New or Used: New Camera Used: K3-III
A 2009 model. Initially I was very disappointed whilst using on K20D. No mechanical failures but all the other reported negative aspects, especially regarding slow and poor A/F. Move to K3-III and it’s brilliant. Too good for rough outdoor work, I want this lens for set pieces for ever.
Third-Party Pentax Lenses
Voigtländer SL COLOR-HELIAR 75mm F2.5
Reviewed by New Member La Bikina
Review Date: April 27, 2026 Recommended | Price: $350.00 | Rating: 9
Pros: Mechanical Quality, natural colors , neutral colors
Cons:Bokeh ( Expected better )
Sharpness: 9 Aberrations: 9 Bokeh: 8 Handling: 10 Value: 10 Camera Used: Nikon D5
It’s not my first Voigtlander lens, the building quality is similar to Leica quality standards, the colors are natural and neutral. I am surprised about the performance without hood or any filter UV, better than expected even f/2.5 aperture. It’s very similar in building construction to Voigtlander APO-Lanthar SL 90 mm f/3.5 AI-S.
This Voigtlander Color Heliar 75mm f/2.5 seems good to portrait type photo, if you are looking retro and vintage old school colors like classic film photos (even this lens are made in 00s)
Comment of the Week:
New Member Newy on Post process, or straight out of the camera? The Best of Pentax Forums April 23 Poll: As an enthusiast who has no client to satisfy, I shoot jpegs only and enjoy the challenge that capturing the picture in the camera brings. Today's Pentax cameras are mini computers compared to the analogue cameras I started with, where you had to learn when to override the centre weighed meter, live with a fixed iso and learn how to manually focus accuratly especially on moving subjects. It was a difficult and sometimes frustrating learning curve but that's what made the hobby interesting.
The K series of Pentaxes I've used since the K10 have made it all so easy to catch that moment in time: if I don't get the picture I want I put it down to my own laziness.
If you do not get the picture you want first time reshoot from a different angle or wait until the light is better etc. Manipulating the jpeg shot with post capture software robs the picture of its photographic quality and it becomes just another manipulated image- a piece of fiction. Newy.
What’s your fav Pentax Custom Image Mode?
The Best of Pentax Forums April 30 Poll
Digital photographers trade JPEG film emulation recipes like contestants in a chili cookoff. Pentax being Pentax, the company has taken its own path rather than following old film emulsions. So while there are some common ones like the K-3 III’s Reversal Film and Monochrome Custom Image modes, the interesting ones are very…Pentaxy:
Gold
Spring Rouge - HARUBENI
Summer Sky - KATEN
Autumn - KYUSHU
Winter Field - FUYUNO
Are you a custom image user? Which one’s your fav? Vote in this week’s poll, and let us know how you do the voodoo you do so well in the comments!
This poll closes May 6
And here are the results of last week’s poll:
Weekly Photo Challenges
Project 52-14-17: Cars, until 5-3 (Sunday)
This week it's all about cars. The choice is yours.
Do you want to go into detail, look at them stationary or in motion? Your dream car or the heap of junk on the side of the road? Take your best shot, but most of all, have fun!
I'm looking forward to seeing many old and new participants in Project 52 and to see many old and new cars.
And here’s the entry from Loyal Site Supporter BertieK: K-3iii Mono DFA 21/2.4
A Walk Down Memory Lane
Brian Edworthy: Pentaxian Profile
An equine photographer
By PF Staff in Pentaxian Profiles on Jan 13, 2013
Like most journeys, mine began with a single step.
As a normal 9 to 5’er with little extra cash to throw around, I had mostly resigned myself to snapping away with a point and shoot, telling myself that one day when I am big, I would get a DSLR. Well my 43rd birthday rolled around in November 2009, and I decided I was big enough. After a lot of internet research I became the proud owner of a Pentax K-7. At that point it was still very a fun hobby, and as my daughters rode horses, there was a natural attraction to these great clumsy animals brought on by being around them so much. It’s fair to say that without my girls riding, I may never have begun to take my photography seriously.
PentaxForum Front page stories April 23-29:
March 2026 “Trees” Photo Contest Winners
Announcing the winners of our monthly contest
By PF Staff in Photo Contests on Apr 25, 2026
It is our pleasure to announce the winners of our March, 2026 “Trees” photo contest! In first place was forum member TaoMaas from USA who captured “Reflected Cyprus Trees” (pictured above). This photo was shot with a Pentax K-1 and an Tokina 80.200mm F2.8 lens. Our runners-up were forum member amrocha from Brazil in second place with “Autumn in Patagonia” and jlev from USA in third place with “That Wanaka Tree in Spring”.
The Making of “Reflected Cyprus Trees”
How the winning photo of the “Trees” contest was made
By TaoMaas in Photo Contests on Apr 28, 2026
Years ago, when I was first starting in photography, I loved David Muench's landscapes in "Arizona Highways Magazine". I used to think that if I could just get out to some of the places I saw in the magazine, maybe I could take great landscapes, too. I eventually got my chance one year while visiting some friends in Tucson. One morning I woke up before dawn, tossed my gear into my car, and headed outside of town to try and take some pictures.