DIY: Adapting the Pentax FA*85/1.4 onto the Cantax K-5D Mark III

Since a Pentax K-mount FF has been rather pessimistic for long and even that the K-mount might be aborted, today I have decided to build my own K-mount Full Frame body myself again, to accommodate my superior and excellent FA*85/1.4 lens, which has been collecting dust for long without a matching FF body!

So, here we go!

Warning: If you follow me to do the following, do it at YOUR OWN RISK!

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Latest Interchangeable Lens Camera (ILC) Market Sharing for 6 Months (Japanese Home Market)

See what BCN reports:-

http://bcnranking.jp/news/1302/130228_24917.html
(in Japanese)



The aggregated sales trend of the top four market leaders are plotted for 6 months, namely, Canon (Orange), Nikon (Yellow), Sony (Blue) and Olympus (Green). Do note that the sales of both DSLR/reflex and mirrorless types are included and added up.

As both Canon and Nikon sell mostly reflex cameras instead

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Higher-end DSLRs Live Longer than the Cheaper Ones!

http://www.petapixel.com/2013/03/24/study-confirms-higher-end-dslrs-lose-value-more-slowly-than-cheap-ones/

Unfortunately, Pentax has no real high-end camera of any for the mass market. But on the other hand the 645D is just too "high-ended" to keep the company alive!

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Canon has Taken the Crown Away From Pentax! :-(

..for the smallest and lightest DSLR bodies ever made, wins over both the size and the weight! >:-(

Camerasize.com has updated their database to include the new Canon EOS100D/SL1, in particular, I've checked the following:-

1. 100D Vs K-x:-

http://camerasize.com/compare/#448,229

The overall size of the 100D is a bit smaller, but the weight of the 100D is 30% less!

2. 100D Vs K-01:-

http://

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DA560 Lens Review Published at PF

The ever most expensive Pentax DA lens has been reviewed in full by the PF:-

http://www.pentaxforums.com/reviews/pentax-da-560mm-f56-ed-aw/introduction.html

I have gone though the IQ parts of the review. From the test pictures and samples posted, I found that the resolution of the lens is low, flare control of it is so-so, CA of it could be obvious, bokeh of it is not that pleasing, i.e.,

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New Firmware for Pentax Q

http://www.pentax.jp/english/support/digital/q_s.html

Improved contrast AF performance.
Improved stability for general performance.

Good job, Pentax! I will update mine shortly.

Update (3-29): The firmware is pulled down from the above Japanese support website without any reason given. Only the following is stated:-

We are sorry to inform you that the software version 1.11 is temporary not

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K-mount is to be Discontinued and Replaced!?

The rumours continue.. Read this Xitek post (Google translated).

Well, it is told that:-

1. The source of information is from an old classmate of the OP who is now working at Tokina in Japan;

2. There is a collaboration project in progress amongst Pentax Ricoh and Tokina (This is confirmed via the previous news posted by the PF);

3. The March 27 rumour is not true! (Yes, that poster firmly

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What Internet Contents that Could be Trusted BTW?

A Chinese idiom states that sometimes one cannot really distinguish between the truth and the fake..

An alleged boy named himself as Mike (Milan) Svitek as the poster appeared in YouTube yesterday and stated that all the recent Pentax new body and lens rumours "created" by him were all fake!



URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXPo72dpAtQ

But then here comes the questions! IF *everything*

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Where Came the Countdown?

It was originated from a blog post by the Mr. Blurry Cameraphone-man, whom posted the diagram below at his new Chinese "micro-blog" hosted at the Sina Weibo, a few days ago:-

http://weibo.com/1495193132/zob2Hz9r5

(Update: The above page has been removed.)

So, this is the significant stuff that posted:-



In short, the Japanese words above meant that at 10:00 a.m. on a x7th day (something is

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V.P. of Pentax Canada Forced Mike Svitek to Withdraw All his Posted Contents about the New Pentax DSLR!

(Glen Sealy, V.P. of Pentax Canada Imaging.)

According to what Mike Svitek told lastly, Vice President of Pentax Canada, Glen Sealy, phoned him, strongly requesting removval of all his previous posted contents about a secret Pentax DSLR body tested by him, at Google+ and Twitter.

So, now all his contents are removed but then it seems yet confirms that what Mike told are true, maybe! And do

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Pentax Australia has just Confirmed FF!!

@ https://twitter.com/PentaxAustralia/status/316151346644533248

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Something "Very Different" is Coming!

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Updated: Countdown to the Upcoming Pentax New Product Announcement!

Countdown To

UPDATE: The Counter is RESET! :-o :-(

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K-3 FF in 24MP is Being Beta-Tested?

A guy called Mike Svitek has posted and typed these in his twitter and Google+ accounts, as follows and quoted, one by one:-

https://twitter.com/svitekphotos/status/314424040804720640/photo/1

"Testing the Pentax K-3 ... ISO25600 sample blew me away!"

https://plus.google.com/109859150130478662888/posts

Read the earlier one of the two posts made on March 20th:-

"Testing out the new Pentax K-#

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Canon DSLR Diminished, Leaving Pentax and Others Behind!

http://www.dpreview.com/previews/canon-eos-100d-rebel-sl1/7



http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/canon-sl1/canon-sl1A.HTM



http://www.photoreview.com.au/reviews/dslr-cameras/entry-level/first-look-canon-eos-100d

Via: 1001 Noisy Cameras.

So, Canon has made my old dream comes true but not Pentax, nor anyone else neither. I might buy that EOS100D btw, it's a little funny *reflex* camera

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"Sunsetting" of the Google Reader!

http://googlereader.blogspot.com/2013/03/powering-down-google-reader.html

The Google Reader is dying! It's really Too Bad! I have been using this for years now, any suggestion for a replacement? :-(

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Copyright Reiteration

I have been noticing that particular people who follow my Blog have been consistently cloning my post contents of the latest and re-posting these, which are actually originated from my Blog, at other Internet places as if they found the contents themselves, *without citing* the original source of the contents, i.e., my Blog! I have commonly seen this happened at the two major Pentax forums from

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Yet Another Recent Rumour from Japan: K-3/3s April, 645DII June

Read this:-

http://bbs.kakaku.com/bbs/K0000416049/SortID=15794099/
(in Japanese)

This rumour is actually a few weeks earlier than what Photo Rumors told us about five new Pentax/Ricoh cameras are to come just on the day before. The Japanese OP seems to know something. Btw, it is said that the K-3/3s is an APS-C body with 24MP pixel count, just! >:-|

Edit: Thanks to "phoenix15" for his/her

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Last Clearance - Instant Rebate for Lenses with the Purchase of 645D and K-5IIs

See the latest offers here, in US only:-

http://pentaximaging.com/special-offers/

And this is the downloadable claim form:-

http://c758710.r10.cf2.rackcdn.com/files/rebates/1363016044_PENTAX_K5IIsLENS_645DLENS_REWARDS_2013_022613_V2_HR.pdf

So, it seems that Pentax is trying to clean up the last stocks of the 645D and K-5IIs at this moment and that promotion of those FA Limited full frame

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Rumour: Pentax Ricoh to Announce Five New Cameras Shortly

See what PR has just reported:-

http://photorumors.com/2013/03/10/pentax-rumored-to-announce-several-new-dslrs-and-a-new-compact-aps-c-camera/

The source of information is not mentioned, though. But I believe that the PR should have some insider channel for what they said, as before (and that it was proven for times that they were right, although not always). And yes, PR (Photo Rumors)

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The "Brick Pentaxian" Switched to Canon for Super Tele-photography

The brick owner of the Pentax K-01 and some other Pentax gear, decided and got a Canon 7D and an "outdated" Canon 400/5.6L USM lens to do the job:-

http://steevemarcoux2.com/2013/03/08/from-pentax-to-canon-7d-400mm5-6-l-for-wildlife/

Nice photo, btw!


Read Also:- 

The Pentax Big Guns for Birding!

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New K-5II/IIs Firmware V1.03

http://www.pentax.jp/english/support/digital/k-5_2_s.html

Changes to V1.03

Improved the accuracy of exposure when using AA batteries.
Improved stability for general performance.

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Online Sensor Size Comparison Tool for Different Cameras

@ http://cameraimagesensor.com/size/

For instance, this is what I have just compared:-



http://cameraimagesensor.com/size/#188,167,137,231,190,75,83,133,11,135,a

Enjoy!


Old Related:-

Sensor Sizes Re-visited, including the Latest Rumoured Nikon and Fuji Mirrorlesses

Virtually Compare the Sizes of Different Cameras

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MX-1 DxOMarked

Just see what happens for what it is compared against the Olympus XZ-2 and the Q10:-

http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/Cameras/Compare-Camera-Sensors/Compare-cameras-side-by-side/(appareil1)/854|0/(brand)/Pentax/(appareil2)/841|0/(brand2)/Olympus/(appareil3)/828|0/(brand3)/Pentax

Well, it tells that the XZ-2 and the MX-1 are actually the same camera inside, as most of the marks are just so close

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So Boring in the Pentaxland Recently, What is/are Coming?! >:-(

Feel free to reply in "Comments" for anything you know or want! :-o

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New Full MX-1 Review at the Pentax Forums

http://www.pentaxforums.com/reviews/pentax-mx-1-review/introduction.html

Fairly detailed.

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Ricoh Files Patent for Their Dumb Bell Camera

http://egami.blog.so-net.ne.jp/2013-02-13
(in Japanese)


Related:- 

Pentax Dumb Bell Camera is Now a Ricoh

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The Pentax Big Guns for Birding!

Above: From Top to Bottom: DA560, FA250-600, Sigma DC500, FA400.

There is also a A600 as well (the lower one):-



From these PFC posts (in Traditional Chinese):-

http://forum.pentaxfans.net/thread-134670-1-1.html

http://forum.pentaxfans.net/thread-134602-1-1.html


Who said Pentax is not for Birding after all?! ;-)

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Unleash the Local Language Menu of a Locked K-01 Version

http://forum.pentaxfans.net/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=135078
(in Traditional Chinese)

For those special versions that sold in particular countries/regions, e.g. in Japan, the K-01 has only Japanese and English selectable as the user menu language. Someone in Taiwan has discovered that the local language menu can actually be unlocked and unleashed simply via the Debug mode.

What to do is to

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Some Recent Pentax Reviews and How Would the MX-1 Look Like Over Time?

1. A K-5II Vs K-5IIs IQ Comparison at DCI

Via 1001 Noisy Cameras

2. A MX-1 Full Review at PB (with ISO comparison) and other Samples (by others) Here and Here.

Via 1001 Noisy Cameras

3. Speaking of the MX-1, someone has tried to do a time catalysis to his Pentax bronze DC to see how it will look like some time later, as inspired by that recent Pentax marketing statement about the MX-1! :-o

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