Grand Opening of Pentax Boutique within the Willoughbys store in NYC.

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Hi Pentaxian friends.

Congratulation Pentax on the opening of the Pentax Boutique in Willoughby's New York Store. It looks very cool.

Check here for story and more pictures:

http://www.facebook.com/Pentax#!/album.php?aid=187608&id=101083642692&ref=mf

 

Thanks for reading,

Yvon Bourque

The Pentax world has been relatively quiet this past year. So shame on me for thinking, that in my future, I might purchase some third party equipment, to complement my Pentax arsenal.

Visitors to this page also like "Recommended Reading" on the right column. Email: brqyvn@aol.com

Hi Pentaxian friends.

The Pentax world has been relatively quiet this past year. Yes, the Pentax Medium Format 645D was introduced in Japan and is making it's way to the United States and Europe, but that's not a DSLR that most of us will be able to purchase. I wish I could, but $10K for the camera, plus several indispensable lenses and other peripheral equipment would mean an outfit costing somewhere between $15K to $20K. You can certainly purchase a nice car for that amount of money. Moreover, big files means that your computing power may become inadequate. That's another $2K to $5K. The "Beautiful" people of the world will be able to enjoy such a technical marvel, but the rest of us will still be shooting with APS-C or Full Frame DSLRs for a while.

The last two DSLRs that Pentax introduced were the K-7 in May of 2009 and the K-x in October of 2009. These two cameras have been the most successful DSLRs from Pentax thus far, especially the entry-level K-x which we saw being offered in a multitude of colors and packages. The K-x held the No.1 spot for several Months and the image quality was the best for cameras in its price range.

Many Point-and-shoot or compact* cameras (*to use Pentax's terms) have been released in the past twelve Months with the Optio W90 leading the pack. I actually purchased the Optio W90 and can attest that it is a great compact camera that you can bring with you anywhere you go, even under water.

Like most of other Pentaxians, I am awaiting to see what will be next for Pentax. The rumors are that, since the biggest camera event in the world, the German "Photokina World of Imaging" is taking place in September of this year, 2010, most new releases will likely coincide with this event, and that from all manufacturers. Then again, maybe not. Canon did introduce the EOS T2i just a little while back and the rumors are that Nikon will be introducing the replacement of the D90.

If you follow my blog, you might remember that some of my equipment was stolen earlier this year, on my way to the PMA show in Anaheim, CA. My most precious lenses are gone and I haven't been able to replace them so far. Yes, I should have insured my equipment, but that sort of bad luck only happens to other people...right!

I still have my K-7 and K-x and some good lenses, but my setup is quite diminished. In the past, I always had three bodies and lenses to cover from extreme wide-angle to long telephoto. I am at a crossroad now as to what will I get in the future to expand and re-equip myself with the best technology I can afford. I have been a Pentax user for many decades and always liked their approach to photography and their products, and still do. However, I am uncertain as to what I will do in the future. I will always purchase the flagship Pentax DSLR whenever a new one is introduced...but, let me explain another point-of-view to this.

I usually have three bodies and an assortment of lenses to cover just about any angle of view. What I don't always have is some of the attributes and technologies other camera makers may have on their models. If you are a Pentax fan, you might remember when Ned Bunnell, President of Pentax America, purchased a Leica camera and posted that on his blogsite. He was highly criticized for that, but he had a real tangible point. Pentax didn't manufacture a similar small, portable and high image quality he wanted.

Well, this is where I am. Pentax is certainly the most economical system and the biggest bang for the buck. Pentax is compatible with millions of lenses dating back 25 years plus. Pentax DSLRs and lenses are sufficient for more that 90% of the shooting situations. Pentax has the best pancake prime lenses. But what about very low light photography, or very high ISO requirements, or quickest auto-focus, or fast mega-zooms or telephotos? What about a competing camera to the  D3x or the EOS 1D Mark IV? I personally would never consider Sony or any of the 4/3 cameras.

So shame on me for thinking, that in my future, I might purchase some other non-Pentax equipment, to complement my Pentax arsenal. After all, I am in the pursuit of imaging perfection, although never attainable. Maybe instead of having three Pentax bodies, I might get three different branded bodies with accompanying lenses that will take advantage of each particular DSLR attributes. I might be able to cover 98% of the shooting situations then.

No, no, don't count me out of the Pentax world. I'm just thinking out loud on my blog site. Are you with me? When you are a Pentaxian, you are a Pentaxian forever.

Thank you for reading,

Yvon Bourque

PENTAX Optio W90 available in orange, in addition to green and black.

Visitors to this page also like "Recommended Reading" on the right column. Email: brqyvn@aol.com

Hi Pentaxian friends.

PENTAX Imaging Company has announced that the PENTAX Optio W90 will be available soon in a third color choice. As early as next month, the eleventh generation PENTAX Optio W90 will become available in orange, in addition to green and black.

Every PENTAX Optio W90 offers enhanced waterproof, shockproof, dustproof, and coldproof performance and features an inventive Digital Microscope mode with LED lighting to capture small but intriguing subjects. Designed with the look of mountaineering equipment, every 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. First announced in February 2010, the Optio W90 already has garnered the Outside magazine’s Gear of the Year 2010 award as well as editorial praise in other national publications including Better Homes & Gardens, Motor Boating, Men’s Journal, Popular Photography & Imaging, and Time magazine.

The rugged Optio W90 offers photographic performance, innovative features and style that surpass other outdoor compact digital cameras now available on the market.  Watch a video.

This latest W90 will ship by July 2010 for $329.95.

Check some reviews of the W90:

DPReview, CNET, Lets go Digital.

P.S. I purchased the Optio W90 Green and the camera is with me 100% of the time. Actually I take it off sometimes when I go to bed at night.

Thank you for reading,

Yvon Bourque

Save yourself some money and make this pano head for your Pentax DSLR, all for about $50.00. It really works well and it's very solid.

Visitors to this page also like "Recommended Reading" on the right column. Email: brqyvn@aol.com

Hi Pentaxian friends.

I know that many of you like panoramic images, composed with several images. There are great software to stitch the images together and there are several pano heads available. They usually cost about $100.00 and more. I made my own pano head, or should I say assembled my own pano head. I you search on Ebay for "Macro focusing Rail" you will find several vendors located in China that sell the same unit that Adorama sells for $179.95, but you will pay around $35.00 to $50.00. with free shipping

Then search for "Flash Bracket" and again vendors from China have them for less than $10.00. and free shipping.

Bend the flash bracket 90 degrees and use the oversized thumb screw, supplied with the rail, to attach it to the rail, and voila...a perfect pano head that is also a macro focusing rail unit.  Now you need another oversized thumb screw to attach the camera to the bracket. If your flash bracket is like the one above, use the screws supplied to attach the camera.

One big advantage is that you can use the rail for macro focusing, and by attaching the bent flash bracket, it becomes a pano head.
The pictures below show the completed unit and I will put it against any pano head on the market.

Thank you for reading,

Yvon Bourque