Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Pentax officially announces two new cameras.

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Hi Pentax friends,


Pentax is introducing a new Optio waterproof digital camera built for rugged adventure in every way. The camera is waterproof, shockproof, dustproof, and cold proof. It is priced at $329.95 and will be available in April.  waterproof to 20 feet, shockproof to 4 feet drop, and cold proof to sub-freezing temperature. A new interesting feature is the Eye-Fi wireless SD memory card connectivity for built-in WI-FI capability to transfer photos and videos from the camera to a computer or an online sharing site such as Facebook, You Tube, Flickr, etc. It uses a 12.1 megapixel sensor. It captures movies in widescreen 720p HD video @ 30 frames per second. A new waterproof Infrared Remote Control (WP) will be available shortly for $29.95.  For more information, check Pentax's website http://www.pentaximaging.com/

The second camera being introduced is the X90. It replaces the X70 introduced about a year ago. It features an extra-wide zoom, longer battery life than its predecessor and an electronic viewfinder (EVF).The key feature is the impressive 26X megazoom (26-676mm equivalent) and also has a Macro mode that focuses to less than one inch. It also has the Eye-Fi capabilities. It can shoot at an impressive 11 frames per second. It is priced at $399.95 and will also ship in April. For more information, check Pentax's website @ http://www.pentaximaging.com/

The W90 is a great little digital camera that you can throw in your glove compartment. The X90 is an alternative to point & shoot with the added availability of the EVF and the megazoom.

Read official Pentax Press Release.

I would have one of each if I could.

Thanks for reading,

Yvon Bourque

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Ned Bunnell is interviewed By Dave Etchells, The Imaging Resource. A must read for all Pentax users.

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Hi Pentaxian friends.

Ned Bunnell is interviewed By Dave Etchells, The Imaging Resource .

"A stalwart of the photography industry, Pentax has a long-standing reputation for quality optics and solidly-built camera bodies at affordable prices. (How many hundreds of thousands of photographers of a certain age cut their teeth on a Pentax K1000?) After an initially rocky transition to the digital era, Pentax has recently made great strides with their K-7 and K-x SLR models, and their 2010 digicam lineup includes some refreshingly different aesthetic designs. At PMA 2010, IR Publisher Dave Etchells and Senior Editor Shawn Barnett caught up with Ned Bunnell, President of the US division - Pentax Imaging Co. - and both an industry veteran and a serious enthusiast photographer in his own right. Ned shared some interesting perspectives on the industry as a whole and Pentax's place in it - Read on for all the details:
Ned Bunnell is interviewed By Dave Etchells, The Imaging Resource

Sunday, February 21, 2010

PENTAX K-7 Limited Silver edition announced. *NEW* Additional images of the camera.




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Hi Pentaxian friends.

PENTAX K-7 Limited Silver

A silver-colored, limited-edition model of the high-performance digital SLR camera

HOYA CORPORATION PENTAX Imaging Systems Division is pleased to announce the launch of the PENTAX K-7 Limited Silver digital SLR camera. To be marketed in a limited quantity of 1,000 sets, this special-edition model comes with several features that distinguish it from the original black-colored PENTAX K-7 (launched in summer 2009), including a silver-colored body and a “golden section ratio” focusing screen.

Major Features of PENTAX K-7 Limited Silver

In response to the enthusiastic requests from many devoted PENTAX lovers, the camera body is finished in silver. It is identical with the color of the high-performance FA Limited interchangeable lens series, a family of lenses designed for the highest level of image description. Because of this, the K-7 Limited Silver is the perfect stylistic match for any FA Limited-series lens. Set in lower area of the camera body, the SR (Shake Reduction) lettering is in a special gold color that stands out proudly against the subdued black-colored, leather-like finish.

The K-7 Limited Silver comes equipped with an exclusive “golden section ratio” focusing screen. Since the guiding lines and points are curved on the screen, the photographer can swiftly and effortlessly compose a perfectly balanced image in keeping with this classic design concept.

The LCD monitor on the camera’s back panel is protected with a reinforced glass plate, which is highly shock- and scratch-resistant. This protective plate makes the K-7 Limited Silver even more durable and dependable than the original K-7, especially under demanding shooting conditions. Thanks to this extra protection, the photographer can concentrate on picture-taking in challenging outdoor assignments.

The camera firmware has been upgraded to the latest version (Ver. 1.03) to make the camera’s lens compensation function operable with the FA Limited-series lenses.

The latest version (Ver. 4.10) of the PENTAX Digital Camera Utility 4 image processing software is included in the camera package.

Note: The specifications of the camera body are identical with the original K-7, except for the focusing screen and firmware.


PENTAX, K-7, and PENTAX Digital Camera Utility are trademarks of HOYA CORPORATION.

HDMI, the HDMI Logo and High-Definition Multimedia Interface are trademarks or registered trademarks of HDMI Licensing LLC.

All other brands or product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

Design and Specifications are subject to change without notice.

Yvon Bourque

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

PMA 2010 in Anaheim, California.

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Hi Pentaxian friends.

PMA 2010 is this coming weekend. It is held in Anaheim this year, instead of Las Vegas.  I believe it was a mistake to move the convention from Las Vegas. There isn't much to do in Anaheim when compared to Las Vegas. I believe many people were enjoying the previous PMA conventions in Vegas because it was also a mini vacation for many.

You probably all know that Canon will not be at this year's PMA and that it is certainly discrediting the event. I suspect that many vendors will have smaller exhibition because of that, I'm not sure...but we will see this weekend.

Anaheim is almost in my back yard. It's a 45 minute drive, including usual traffic, and I will attent the convention again this year. This time, I won't have to spend anything on hotel room. I will probably only attent for one day, but I will report everything that I think will be of interest to you, my readers.

Check this site for photos and videos taken with my K-7 and K-x.ank you for reading,

Yvon Bourque

Thursday, February 11, 2010

The Newer iPod Touch can be a great tool for your photography.

Hi Pentaxian friends.,
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I recently purchased an iPod touch. It looks just like the Apple iPhone without the cell phone capabilities. It is a wi-fi device and it needs to be connected to a wireless network or wi-fi to have access to internet. It is not a device that you can use to log on the internet anywhere, but it works in so many public places and of course at home and office if you have a wireless router setup.

Although laptops and notebooks are very portable, the Ipod touch brings portability to a whole new level. You can check your emails, keep up with your Facebook status, get on EBay to buy or sell, and use hundreds of photography related apps, all in the palm of your hand.

You can even download PDF files, but as far as I know, the images in PDF documents are not downloaded. I was hoping they would, as all of the e-books could have been downloaded on the iPod.  I am working on a solution for that and perhaps my e-books will be downloadable directly to the iPod in the future, making it a great small tool to bring with you to a photo shoot.

It is addictive and I find myself surfing the internet at home while watching TV, etc. There are thousands of apps available for a small price and many of them for free. I get on EBay, bid on some camera items...it alerts me when I am outbidded and in the end, I can pay with my PayPal which is also an app that is installed on my iPod.

You can be sure that I will write more about what can be done to help your photography using the iPod. If you are using the Ipod touch for your photography, please share your experience with all of us.

Thanks for reaading,

Yvon Bourque

Friday, February 5, 2010

After all the rain we had in California, it was impossible to get to the top of the San Bernardino Mountains.

The end of the road for us

There was plenty of water

One-car bridge, still standing

Marisa with the K-x

Another storm in the making

Here's a tree that was cleared from the road

There was more snow as the elevation increased...but the road was not accessible

My traditional picture

Now, that's a strange place for a chair

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Hi  Pentaxian friends.

My daughter, Marisa,  is visiting from Florida this week. I tried to bring her to the San Bernardino Mountains with my Jeep but, with all the rain (snow at high elevation) we had recently, it was nearly impossible to get to the top. We tried several different trails but each trail was either completely washed down or had fallen trees or rocks across the road. However, we did take some pictures with the Pentax K-x and the K-7. I just wanted to share these with you all. She used the K-x in Auto and in JPEG and it produced well exposed pictures everytime. As for me, being the "expert", I used the K-7 manually and I humbly admit that not all my pictures were properly exposed.

Thanks for reading,

Yvon Bourque

We support this site by selling e-books for the Pentax Digital SLR cameras, including the K100D, K10D, K20D, K-7 and the K-x. This site does not ask for contributions. We sell real tangible merchandise that can improve your photography. Our free Auto-focus adjustment charts have been downloaded thousands of times by Pentaxians as well as Nikon and Canon users.