Nothing last forever. I decided to sell my best photographic piece of equipment. Boo hoo!!!

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Hi Pentaxian friends.

Sometimes, a guy has to do what a guy has to do. I reluctantly sold my precious Jeep. I will miss it a lot, but the reality is that any hobby costs so much money that I have to restrict myself to one hobby only. My photography hobby is costly enough. It would be even costlier if I wasn't using the Pentax equipment.

With the price of gas and insurance and the ever ending fixing that a 1988 Jeep requires, I will be better off saving that money. Blah Blah Blah Blah...it sucks.

Goodbye Girl. We had some good times together. Have a nice life.

Thank you for reading,

Yvon bourque

A few camera books for sale on our Amazon.com Store

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0470250747?ie=UTF8&seller=A2MFXWCTRO7VRA&sn=Annies%20Market#noop

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0740780964?ie=UTF8&seller=A2MFXWCTRO7VRA&sn=Annies%20Market

Our new book prices are always the cheapest on Amazon. Check us out.

Annies Market, on Amazon.com.

Will Pentax produce a mirrorless camera (often called Hybrid or EVIL camera)? I think they will...they have everything needed.

The Camera above is the Samsung NX10. It uses the same sensor as the K20D and The K-7.

Above is what I think the Pentax EVIL or Hybrid camera could look like. There has been a close relationship between Pentax and Samsung for a while, and for all I know, Pentax may be making the NX10 for Samsung. This said, I think the Sony 12MP sensor used in the K-x would be a better fit.

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Hi Pentaxian friends.

I couldn't resist thinking that a Pentax hybrid would look something similar to the Samsung NX10. I think that Pentax will produce such hybrid camera just because it makes sense. Pentax has always produced cameras with small footprints. The K-x is a good example of their current lineup and when paired with one of their Limited lens, it does have a small footprint. You can actually carry the K-x and a limited lens in your coat pocket...but it is still not as small as what an hybrid camera would be.

DPR wrote "The Samsung NX10 has the heart of a DSLR embedded inside the compact frame of a digital camera, successfully integrating the APS-C size CMOS sensor with a mirrorless interchangeable lens, for a sleek, lightweight camera that users can easily take with them everywhere they go."

Pentax can produce such hybrid camera and can do it better than anyone else. For once, they have all of the infrastructure in place. Everybody loves the Pentax limited lenses. Take the K-x's heart, the 12MP Sony sensor, implant it in a body similar to the Samsung NX10, and voila, Pentax is at the top of Hybrid cameras. I, for one, think the APS-C sensor is more adapt to hybrid cameras than the four thirds sensors. The size of the sensor alone would deliver better image quality than a four thirds sensor. Its like the difference between APS-C and Full Frame sensors.

The small size of the camera would be the biggest advantage. Imagine the qualify image of the K-7 or K-x, in a package that could fit in your shirt pocket.

At this point in time, I doubt that Pentax will ever manufacture a full Frame camera. They already have one better than the full frame in the new 645D, which will eventually be available worldwide...with certainty.

Thanks for reading,

Yvon Bourque

Yes, this is a Pentax blog. However, we now sell books on Amazon as well.

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Hi Pentaxian friends.

This post is a little off-topic, but I wanted to let everyone know that I now sell books on Amazon. I am fortunate to have found a book source. All books are new and come directly from a bookstore shelves. After they sell a predetermined amount of the same title or after a title sells less than their quota, I can get the books at a very discounted price.

I pass that discount to my clients and if you visit my book store, you will see that my books are almost always the lowest priced.

This new book Store is called " Annies Market" and it's on Amazon.com.

I never know what books will be available to me, so check the site often.

Pentax 645D Youtube video May 16/2010

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Hi Pentaxian friends.

Check this out. 645D video

Pentax K-7 in "The Palouse" Washington. It is an extraordinary beautiful place.

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Hi Pentaxian friends.

My wife and I are just back from a mini vacation in North-East Washington. Friday, May 7th, I drove to a region called "The Palouse" and had the pleasure to photograph the area for about three hours. I could have spent a whole week there, but unfortunately I was time restricted.  However, in that short time, I was able to capture about 150 shots and I believe that the ratio of  keepers/duds is the highest I've ever achieved. No matter where I was pointing the lens to, it seemed to be the perfect scene.

These kind of photographs are not for everyone, but for people that like rural scenes, barns, fields, agriculture...this place is paradise. All photos were taken with my K-7 and most were through the Pentax DA 16-45mm lens. A Hoya Circular polarizer was installed on the lens and used to enhance the already blue sky. I have included just a few photographs here and more are on my Smugmug Gallery.

I hope you enjoy these pictures and if you ever have a chance to visit Washington State, try to visit "The Palouse". It is an extraordinary beautiful place. The pictures can only give you an idea of the grandeur of the land. Hope you enjoy these images,

Thank you for reading,

Yvon Bourque

Fuzzy logic!

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Hi Pentaxian friends.

This post is a little outside my usual photographic posts, but it's priceless to me and I wanted to share the experience with everyone.

I am in the middle of a one week vacation in Washington State. We spent the first part of the week visiting family and our grandchildren in the small town of Cusick, Washington. It was great and the family picked us up at the airport and we then used their second car while in Cusick. 

Tuesday evening, I got on my AOL account on the internet to make a car reservation for the latter part of the week, that we are spending in Spokane, Washington. After checking prices from most of the rental car companies located at the Spokane Airport, I decided to rent from Thrifty car rental. I wanted the car from Wednesday at noon with a return of Friday night at 6:00 P.M. Our plane leaves at 8:00 A.M. Saturday and we were not going to drive anywhere Friday night plus the Hotel offers free shuttle to the Airport.  Since I was booking for two days and 6 hours (Pick-up at noon Wednesday and returning Friday at 6:00 P.M.) there was going to be a surcharge of $32.00 for the extra time from Friday noon to 6:00 P.M. The total was going to be $71.90 plus tax for their smallest economy car.  I changed the reservation to return the car at noon Friday instead and save the extra cost of  $32.00. After all, the daily price, not including all of the taxes, was  $19.95 and it seemed excessive to charge for an extra 6 hours at a  rate higher that a full day.

We were set, so we thought. We showed up at noon Wednesday to pick up our small economy car. To our surprise, the attendant informed us that our reservation was for Thursday, and that they didn't have any economy car available. All they had, he said, was a Ford Explorer at $95.00 per day. I got a little upset and showed him the reservation we had through AOL.com.  He replied that AOL must have made a mistake as Thrifty's computer showed the reservation for Thursday. He wasn't exactly rude but offered no help. He wouldn't budge. Upset, I decided to skip the $95.00 SUV and our son drove us to our hotel, before going back to Cusick. I was planning to pick up our economy car Thursday at noon.

Upon arriving and settling in our room, I thought I would check the rental price on the Internet. I logged on to Thrifty's website and proceeded with trying to reserve a car right then, with a pickup of 2:00 P.M. To my surprise, the reservation went through for the economy car for one day, Wednesday from 2:00 P.M. through Thursday at 2:00 P.M. @ $19.95 plus taxes.

I took the free shuttle from our hotel and showed up at Thrifty's counter. The same attendant was still on duty. He recognized me. Before he had a chance to say anything, I showed him my new reservation. Of course he said they didn't have any economy cars at the moment. I know, I said, I guess you will have to give me a free upgrade, as I have a valid and pre-paid  reservation.  So I got the Ford explorer for $19.95.

Stay with me, It gets better...

I showed him my original reservation from AOL and upon looking at his computer, the original economy car had been booked from Thursday noon through Saturday noon, at the weekend rate of $16.95 per day plus taxes. I told him, do you want me to bring the SUV back tomorrow, and exchange it for the economy car? That meant that he would have had to clean the SUV, write a new contract and provide me with a clean economy car. In the end, I got the "$95.00/day" Ford Explorer for $19.95 the first day and $16.95 per day  for Friday and Saturday with the weekend rate of the economy car. I will be returning the SUV Saturday morning, just in time for our flight at 8:00 A.M.

The bottom line, I got the"$95.00/day"  Ford Explorer for three day at a total price of $53.95 plus taxes. The original economy car reservation was going to cost me $71.90 for two days and 6 hours. I ended up with the SUV for three dayand  for less money. Is it just me or did I beat the system? This is what I call "Fuzzy Logic" from a rental car company. Maybe I just confused him so much, he screwed up big time.

Go figure :)

Thanks for reading,

Yvon Bourque

OUTSIDE MAGAZINE NAMES PENTAX OPTIO W90 GEAR OF THE YEAR WINNER

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Hi Pentaxian friends.

OUTSIDE MAGAZINE NAMES PENTAX OPTIO W90


GEAR OF THE YEAR WINNER

GOLDEN, CO (May 4, 2010)...PENTAX Imaging Company announced that the PENTAX Optio W90 digital camera is an OUTSIDE MAGAZINE Gear of the Year Award winner. The Gear of the Year Award is announced in the Spring/Summer 2010 Outside Buyer’s Guide hitting newsstands today and remains available through September of this year.

"This is one cool camera,” said Buyer's Guide editor Sam Moulton. “With rugged specs and a design that makes it look like it belongs on a mountain trail, it offers everything an outdoor adventure enthusiast could want in a point and shoot camera,” added Sam Moulton.

"And when the shooting begins, the W90 brings some serious photographic punch,"

added Moulton.

The eleventh generation PENTAX Optio waterproof digital camera is built for rugged adventure in every way. With enhanced waterproof, shockproof, dustproof, and coldproof performance, the camera also features an inventive Digital Microscope mode with LED lighting to capture small but intriguing subjects. Designed with the distinct look of mountaineering equipment, the Optio W90 kit includes a woven web fabric strap complete with a carabiner to attach the camera to a backpack and other outdoor gear.

Adventure photography doesn’t get any better than this. The rugged Optio W90 offers photographic performance, innovative features and style that surpass other outdoor compact digital cameras now available on the market.

• Waterproof to 20 feet for reliable underwater photography

• Shockproof to 4 feet withstanding the rigors of extreme use

• Coldproof to sub-freezing temperatures for use in wintery, snowy activities

• 12.1 megapixel sensor and wide angle 5X optical zoom (28-140mm equivalent)

• Digital Microscope mode with LED lens lighting perfectly captures the smallest and closest macro subjects as near as 1cm from the camera

• Large 2.7 inch LCD with 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio that is easy to view in strong light or underwater

• Capture movies in widescreen 720p HD video at 30 frames per second

• An HDMI port plays back beautiful high resolution images and video on HDTVs


• Advanced Pixel Track Shake Reduction captures blur-free images in any lighting

• Fast Face Detection, Smile Capture, Blink Detection with processing modes specifically designed for portraiture, and new Pet Recognition captures up to 3 pre-programmed pet faces in memory

• Infrared remote control compatibility with new waterproof Remote Control WP, as well as other PENTAX infrared remotes

• Autofocus assist lamp helps to quickly and accurately focus, even in challenging lighting

• 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 Picasaweb, Flickr, Facebook and YouTube (Eye-Fi cards sold separately.)

Priced at $329.95 USD, the camera is shipping now. A waterproof infrared remote control (sold separately) for use with the PENTAX Optio W90 and other infrared compatible Optio models is available for $29.95 USD. More information and where to buy is available here: www.pentaximaging.com. Product images are here: http://www.pentaximaging.com/pressfiles.aspx

. The Optio W90 also may be purchased on: www.pentaxwebstore.com PENTAX Imaging Company is an innovative leader in the production of a variety of digital cameras including weather resistant digital SLRs and stylish, compact, waterproof cameras, as well as lenses, flash units, binoculars, scopes, and eyepieces. For over 90 years, PENTAX has developed durable, reliable products that meet the needs of consumers and businesses. With headquarters in Golden, Colorado, PENTAX Imaging Company is a division of PENTAX of America, Inc.

Vacationing in Spokane, Washington for 10 days. Where are the best place to visit and take unique pictures?

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Hi Pentaxian friends.

I am in Spokane, Washington for the next 10 days. It is a really  beautiful City. It's clean and green. Any of you readers have experienced this City? I am thinking of driving from here to "The Palouse"  where I understand it's beautiful country.

I will be posting some pictures this week. I brought my K-7, and a few lenses. I also brought a K-x for pictures of family and inside with low light. Needless to say, I haven't had much time to take pictures yet, but that should be a good week.