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UltravioletPhotography

new pentax IR/UV camera announced only for musems/forensics


Mark Jones

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https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ricoh-imaging.co.jp%2Fjapan%2Fproducts%2Fkp-ir%2F

 

looks like pentax is rolling out a specialized uv/ir camera, just has the ir block removed from what I can tell. I guess they want to avoid the sony handynam see through bathing suit fiasco a couple of decades ago and are making people sign a waiver it will be only used for some purposes, lol.

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Andy Perrin
Heh, but they say they won't sell to a general user anyway? Do they think the museum people are all perverts?
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There possible hand drawn graph only has it usable from best 350nm to 1100nm. Not good for UV then. Like when Fuji said their cameras are good from 380nm and up.

 

Also maybe want people to sign that agreement to stop users from leaving their cameras on snowy benches all lonely. Sorry, just thought that image was funny. Its a Pentax, no worries it will get stolen, I'll just leave it here to hold my spot.

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http://www.ricoh-ima...oducts/645z-ir/

 

There's the US link.

 

Isn't that just the most ridiculous thing ever - about not selling to "general customers" for use by "individual persons"?? Any one of us who cared to spend the money could have a 645-IR anytime we wanted to. Just get it converted by one of the retail converters or simply DIY.

 

I don't get it. Perhaps there is some kind of law in Japan which prevents individual sales of IR capable cameras. As though that would ever stop anyone from aquiring and using one.

 

Fuji had that same rule years and years ago when they were selling a full spec camera made from one of the old S Pro models, IS Pro I think it was called. Birna and I both had one of course - in spite of that rule. I think she still has hers. I sold mine because the Fujis at that time were quite a pain to use. And they required the Fuji converter software which was really truly a Badd App. However I did like the "look" and the unfiltered false colour of that old full spec Fuji.

 

I'm envisioning marching into Pentax HQ with my DIY converted 645-IR going "Bwah-hah-hah-hah Pentax, you silly corporation !!! Look what *I* have !!! Tra-la. Tra-la."

 

OK, enough, back to work.

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Wow a 645z is better than APS-c Pentax Kp that Mark posted.

 

I wonder if the 350nm hand drawn figure is correct. The Fuji GFX 50S and the Pentax 645z have the exact same sensor. I would have hoped for more UV response than that.

I have been thinking about the Gfx 50S. But its way outside my affordable limit.

 

I will have to wait for Andrea's report on the Panasonic S1R. Still haven't seen a tear down on Kolari yet. Hope it doesn't have IR shutter monitor problem.

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Canon made some astrophotography dslr a long time ago. Wish Nikon and Canon made some preconverted IR/UV sensor cameras.

Seems like a no brainer to me, but market is probably so niche to not be worth their time.

 

On the other hand I bet they would sell more UV/IR cameras then huge 600mm f/4 lenses.

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On the other hand I bet they would sell more UV/IR cameras then huge 600mm f/4 lenses.

 

Actually, I have a feeling that the number of UV photography users is about the number of people we see here. IR much larger. But still small.

Quite a few sports photographers will buy a 600mm. I think its more.

Also don't forget the crazys that need every thing. I remember a Pentax addict whom had 4 300mm f2.8 lens and was using them to hold a clear glass as a coffee table.

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Andrea, Thanks for the US link the translated version was taking forever...

It isn't really designed for UV, they have some kind of internal filter that is blocking UV, most of it anyway, it is designed mostly for IR, thus the IR part of the name.

Fuji did the same thing with their forensic cameras, like the IS Pro, they made you sign an end user license agreement saying you were not doing bad things with the camera.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FinePix_IS_Pro

Such end user license agreements seem fairly ridiculous at this point given the availability of full spectrum conversions.

 

By the way, the IS Pro was only rated at 380nm to 1000nm.

https://www.dpreview.com/articles/7693570730/fujifilmispro

 

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So they had way too many of these collecting dust in the warehouse, so they've decided to make a quick and easy modification to try to make some profit... clever thinking Ricoh :)
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Isn't that just the most ridiculous thing ever - about not selling to "general customers" for use by "individual persons"??

Let's be honest... They have hard time to sell even their unmodified cameras to the general customers :) I think Pentax is a zombie brand, it will disappear in 3-5 years tops... which is a shame as I used to be a Pentaxian (still have my K10D Grand Prix edition).

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I don't know why Pentax are not more popular. I love them. I shot Pentax film. (Not that I had any idea at all what I was doing with film. I only really learned photography when I got my hands on a digital DSLR.) And I have a converted Pentax K-something which is a gem. Pentax typically lets everybody else do it first and they follow up with well-polished designs. But not much marketing. So nobody ever sees them as the "leader".
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I don't know why Pentax are not more popular. I love them. I shot Pentax film. (Not that I had any idea at all what I was doing with film. I only really learned photography when I got my hands on a digital DSLR.) And I have a converted Pentax K-something which is a gem. Pentax typically lets everybody else do it first and they follow up with well-polished designs. But not much marketing. So nobody ever sees them as the "leader".

Where to start? :D

The K10D was a massive hit, and it was quite revolutionary that time and it was a phenomenal camera, but... as system the Pentax was not good at all, flashes and lenses were quite rare, useless for work. Then the K7 was pretty bad, it's image quality was way behind the competitors and then Hoya bought Pentax for the medical division, they released one good camera, the K5, but even that was lagging behind competitors and the as a system Pentax was still lagging waaaay behind. Then came the rainbow Pentax era, which made Pentax a laughing stock... And then came the "selling" of the photography division to Ricoh for peanuts. The K1 was a great camera but too late, the K1-II was a joke (almost like a firmware update). The last innovative camera they had was the K-01 but Pentax managed to make it look really ugly and had no EVF option at all... fail. The Q series was a good idea but again badly executed. And the latest interview with them just shows how much they have no idea about the market at all (they say people will go back to DSLR and abandon MILC)... They supposed to release something for the 100 years celebration, but I doubt there will be anything... DSLRs are dead, therefore the K-mount is dead. Coming out with a new MILC mount would be a suicide so IMHO the only way for Pentax to stay alive is to join either the L-Mount alliance or licence the E-Mount from Sony. I highly doubt they have the resources for this. Ricoh should kill off the Pentax brand so it could be a nice memory instead of the joke it is now.

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Ah, Timber, our man of strong opinions! I disagree that the Pentax brand is a "joke". But I do agree that Pentax market knowledge is lacking. (BTW, I have had so much fun with my little Pentax Q. That goofy little thing! I have one of the front dial settings on Posterization and make the most wonderful, colourful abstracts with it.)

 

The shake-out will continue for a while. Mirrorless or DSLR? Who knows? Which brand will "win". Who knows? :lol: Mirrorless still needs some improvements in focusing and tracking. Gotten much better though. Fuji and Sony have been quite innovative.

 

 

Please no brand wars here. We are brand agnostic.

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When Ricoh announced that you can send your Pentax K1 to them and they will update it to K1 Mark II the overall reaction was "Is it 1st of April?"

The Pentax brand is a nice memory, but right now as a system it's a joke. No support from 3rd parties at all, or even from Ricoh. There is no sign of any product in the future, and the interviews with Ricoh suggest it's better off this way, because if they release anything that would be a massive failure. There is zero R&D on their behalf and right now no one is interested in Pentax, they can not gain new customers and they are rapidly losing the old ones.

 

In the brand wars there is only one winner: the customer. MILC vs DSLR is again not a question. There is no need for the mirror anymore and soon there is no need for the shutter at all (as soon there is a proper global e-shutter). The mechanical shutter is like the carburetor... it had it's time but now it's obsolete. The advantages of e-shutter just so huge that once the rolling shutter issue is solved (and Sony already has an APS-C size global shutter sensor) then the last disadvantage is gone. MILC still need improvements but the key point is, it has room to improve, yet with mirrored cameras there is almost none. AF and tracking is getting ahead of DSLR now which makes sense, as DSLR needs the mirror to be lowered to be able to use the AF while MILC does not. Also the MILC AF system can work with 100% of the light compared to the 10%-ish the DSLR... One has to be delusional or lack all technical skills to believe DSLR is the future (or IMHO even to believe DSLR has a future). And that's exactly what Ricoh says they believe...

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Well for the 5 people at Ricoh that prefer the optical view finder, they have to make a DSLR right.

But be careful, don't hand them a Fuji pro2 camera with both options. Then Pentax will truly be gone.

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Honestly, I find it hard to imagine ever owning a DSLR, and certainly not for UV/IR photography, where we are using legacy lenses constantly.
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UV-Nikkor 105/4.5 (my constant companion) works best currently on Nikon DSLRs.

If Nikon ever smooths out the bumps with the Z6/Z7 striping issue, then that may change.

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What? No responses to that? :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

What are your thoughts on which is most important: camera or lens?

 

Not a trick question....genuine curiousity on my part.

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What? No responses to that? :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

What are your thoughts on which is most important: camera or lens?

 

Not a trick question....genuine curiousity on my part.

 

I love my Em1 for deep UV. Shocked it can do UVC.

But just crunching the numbers for best DR and best low light high ISO and the Panasonic S1 seems to be the ultimate best right now.

My criteria also included sensors with only contrast AF, as I wouldn't want the recent Z6 line problem.

So that limits me to Sony A7S, A7R, Fuji 50R, Fuji 50S, Sigma fp, Panasonic S1 and Panasonic S1R. Based on what I can find on the web the Panasonic S1 seems to be the current best. Usable ISO up to 102400 and max PDR 12.22. The high resolution mode upto ISO 3200, puts it over the edge compared to equal sensor in Sigma FP. Too bad you can't use flash in HR mode though. Also limited to 1 second, which I think is stupid.

 

Best beginner lens is Nikkor 80mm EL f5.6.

Best lens in my opinion if you can get it is Pentax UAT 85mm f4.5.

 

So yes keep the lens, but get a better more sensitive camera. Not sure if the UAT is defraction limited, but any lens that is diffraction limited will last you for life.

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"Camera bodies come & go. Good glass is forever."

 

Andrea B., 1999

:bee: :bee: :bee:

According to a test I did with a friend when I was still shooting Canon:

Good camera + bad lens > Bad camera + good lens

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Lets see when the Quanta image sensors hit the market. Just reading that baby steps have started to see chips in research applications. Consumer cameras still about 5 or more years, but that could propell smartphone cameras beyond Fuji medium format.

Being able to measure every photon will have a huge advantage.

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Good camera + bad lens > Bad camera + good lens

 

Yep, I'd say that would be my ranking. Certainly my preference.

Although I went slightly nutso over the distortion from a lightweight 24-70 Nikon zoomer (bad lens) that I used instead of the usual 24-70/2.8 (good lens) which is quite a hunk of lens. This was for vacation snaps so I was being lazy about carrying the heavy stuff. :grin:

 

My point with the statement above was that we tend to keep our lenses and get rid of our camera bodies for newer models. So it makes sense to put your money where it will last. Like I did not really truly *need* the D850. I was very happy with the D810. I should have waited.

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Yeah, I think you are right about value, Andrea. Like, I am using that Wollensak 25mm lens for UV and SWIR, and that lens is between 70 and 90 years old.
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