Wednesday, August 29, 2012

New Pentax K-30 e-book "Everything you need to know...and then some" coming out the first week of September.

Email: brqyvn@gmail.com 

 Hi Photographer friends,

The new PENTAX K-30 combines a compact, lightweight body with many advanced features found only in higher end DSLR camera models, such as a weather, dust and cold resistant body, a glass prism optical finder with 100% field of view, state-of-the-art autofocusing, and full HD video recording capabilities.

You knew that already.

I am introducing my newest e-book for the Pentax cameras.

The Pentax K-30 "Everything you need to know...and then some."

The e-book will be available the first week of September, on this site. This is my 8th e-book and I hope it will help many Pentax users better understand the capabilities of the K-30 and photography in general. It has well  over 200 pages of information, photography tips, video "how-to", and is chuck full of high resolution images and illustrations. My e-books are always written in a non-technical way and entry-level photographers all the way to advanced amateurs have learned to use their respecdtive Pentax camera  to its full potential.

Some photographers have purchased my e-books for each of the Pentax cameras they upgraded to since the K-100D. 

Watch for it.



downloadable preview will be available shortly.

Thank you so very much  for your encouragement and business for the last five years. It's always a pleasure and a privilege to pass along what I have learned through  years of photography, and years of using the Pentax equipment exclusively.

Yvon Bourque

Special Bulletin ***Republican or Democrat*** This is not a football game.

Email: brqyvn@gmail.com 

Hi Photographer friends,

I never talk politic with friends or nobody else for that matter. I never blog about politic either...except for this time.

I am not pushing the  Republican or Democrat Parties. 

I am amazed at how little people know about the values of each party.  Sometimes I feel like this is like a sporting event, like a football game, but it's not. All of our future depends on this next election. 

I searched the Internet and found a great little book that explains, in in a straight-to-the-point, side-by-side comparison, the Republican and Democratic views on today's hottest issues. 

It's called RED vs BLUE


I found this little booklet on Amazon of all places.  I recommend this book to every person living in the United States. It's so simple and tells all about each Party. It's only like 20 pages, but what an eye opener.

Check it out here. It's only $1.99. but worth thousands in information.

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Pentax announces new X-5 $279.95

Email: brqyvn@gmail.com

 Hi Photographer friends,


The PENTAX X-5 will close the distance between you and the perfect shot. Its 26X super-telephoto zoom lens, articulated LCD and high-resolution electronic viewfinder enable effortless composition and convenient playback.  So go ahead, hike a little higher up that mountain—the X-5 will minimize the distance between you and the perfect shot.
  • 26X ZOOM LENS (22.3-580MM)
  • BACKLIT 16 MEGAPIXEL CMOS SENSOR
  • 3 INCH TILT LCD SCREEN
  • FULL 1080P30 HD VIDEO, H.264 COMPRESSION










  • 26X zoom lens (22.3-580mm equivalent)

    Close the distance between you and the perfect shot with the X-5’s super-telephoto 26X zoom lens (22.3-580mm equivalent). This zoom feature ensures extreme flexibility for any scene or subject, near or far.
  • Tiltable 3.0 inch, high definition LCD screen

    Enjoy effortless image composition and image playback with the X-5’s large tiltable 3.0 inch, high definition LCD screen. This exceptional LCD screen offers sharp image viewing, even in bright sunlight, and allows users to shoot from high and low angles to keep the subject neatly framed in the image area.
  • Full 1080p30 HD video, h.264 compression

    Capture full HD 1080p widescreen video at 30 FPS with high quality h.264 compression, and enjoy creative movie playback features, such as High-speed Movie mode for slow-motion playback and Time-lapse Movie mode for fast-forward playback.
  • HDMI port

    Share your work with ease as the X-5’s micro-HDMI port (Type D) plays back beautiful high resolution images, video and sound to external devises such as HDTVs.
  • Super Macro Mode

    Get closer to the flowers, capture the smallest details, and reveal super crisp expressions from your subject, from as near as 1cm, with the Super Macro Mode. The X-5 also comes with an Auto Macro function, which automatically switches the focus mode to Macro when it detects the subject is close to the lens.
  • 16 megapixel CMOS sensor

    Capture beautiful, high resolution, low noise imagery with a state-of-the-art image processing engine and back-illuminated, high performance, 16 megapixel CMOS sensor. Even while shooting up to ISO 6400, the PENTAX X-5 provides users with very high resolution images.
  • Triple Shake Reduction

    The X-5’s triple shake reduction system couples the PENTAX developed mechanical sensor-shift-type Shake Reduction (SR) mechanism with a digital SR mode for stills or movie SR mode for video to more effectively compensate for camera shake. This hybrid system assures sharp, blur-free images and video, even in the most challenging camera-shake prone and low lighting conditions.
  • 260,000 dot resolution electronic viewfinder

    The 260,000 dot resolution electronic viewfinder provides effortless composition and DSLR-like handling. What you see is what you get as the X-5’s viewfinder diopter adjustment delivers a consistently clear view of the subject, even under bright sunshine.
  • Fast Face Detection technology

    Create the perfect group shot or a gorgeous portrait with the X-5’s Fast Face Detection technology, as it quickly finds up to 32 subjects in any scene for impeccably focused and exposed faces.

    B & H has a price tag of $279.95


Saturday, August 18, 2012

EBay, I believe you were good at one time, but now, You are too expensive and bias toward buyers, and neglecting sellers. No sellers = no EBay.

Email: brqyvn@gmail.com

 Hi Photographer friends,

Back when EBay had just started, I was lucky enough to have purchased all the inventory of a camera store in Maine, that had closed down. There were no "PayPal" and the fees were very low. I sold the entire store inventory during  a period of six Months and did very well. 

People were paying by Postal Money order, or checks and some even sent cash money. I was selling and shipping an average of twenty parcels per day. I never received a negative feedback, and I also gave all my clients a positive feedback. 

Then, EBay got bigger and bigger, and with so many people working at EBay, they started to look fort ways to improve their services (that's the code name for "How can we make more money and screw everybody in the process).That was when Meg Whitman was the CEO.  She made a fortune for herself and really didn't care who she was crushing along the way. With her fortune, she even tried to run for Governor of California, but even with the insane amount of money she spent, she did not win.

In 2011, the money that people made by selling on EBay began to be taxable if more than 200 items or $20,000 of sales were achieved in a year period. That's really unfair, as people are loosing their jobs, houses and have no money. some sell their possessions to make ends meet, and then they get to pay tax on their personal stuff that they already paid sales tax on at one time.

Now, EBay fees are too high and they seem to defend the buyers more than the sellers. I sold some of my camera equipment during the past few weeks, using EBay.Since EBay will freeze your money if there is a complaint from a buyer, buyers really have the upper hand.  Three buyers complained on items purchased from me

 "Not as described" . The truth of the matter is that the items were as described or better. All three of them asked for a partial refund. I refused to give a partial refund and told every one of them that I would pay for the shipping to return the item to me and would give a full refund. All three of them backed off and accepted the item, without opening a "Case" with EBay.

That shows me that buyers can complain and can get a partial refund by intimidation, since EBay seem to think the buyers are always right. The funny thing, is that every one of these buyers decided to keep their item after I offer to refund them after shipping the item back to me.

Is that the new way to buy on EBay?
*****************************
Example:

Dear anniesmarket,
Hi,

Just received the Vivitar 2x teleconverter. The item had a rattle when I opened the box and the diaphragm actuator arm was loose and actually fell inside the lens. Obviously the item will not function. Please advise. A discount should be given.

Thanks, **************************** The item was in perfect condition when shipped. In fact, I used it on my camera before selling it. It was packed in the original box and foam inserts. I then shipped it in a USPS priority Mail box with more packing. Was the package damages when received from the post office? Please send it back, I will pay for the return shipping and will give you a full refund. I don't believe the item was damaged. ***************************** After my reply to pay for shipping and reimburse the full amount:
Hi Anniesmarket,

I was able to disassemble the lens. The actuator arm mount had come loose. Easy fix.
Thanks for responding,
***********************

Tuesday, August 14, 2012


Hi Photographer friends,

The K-30 makes it easy to take pictures in any weather condition.




Although the images below have not necessarily been taken with the K-30, they were taken in adverse conditions and Pentax DSLRs have been weather sealed for years, way ahead of the competition.


Blowing sand
Water worst than rain

Fog

Snow

Extreme humidity and heat

Water up to my neck

Rain and fog

Extreme cold , minus 20 degree F

Desert condition, dry, sandy, hot and windy

Humid and sandy

105 degree F

Cold night @ 7000 ft elevation

Misty

Very cold and windy

Maine winter in February

Thanks for looking,

Yvon Bourque 

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Safarious Gallery - Pentax Photo Safari at Bush Camp Company in Zambia www.safarious.com

Email: brqyvn@gmail.com

 Hi Photographer friends,


Pentax Photo Safari at Bush Camp Company in Zambia




Take a look at these images.


 Images are (c) from: Kerrick James
Published July 30, 2012 10:28 PM





I wish I could have won this trip as well.

Yvon Bourque

Friday, August 3, 2012

LED's (Light-Emitting Diode) are taking over.

Email: brqyvn@gmail.com 

 Hi Photographer friends,

Digital cameras and peripherals  are often equipped with some LED  (Light-Emitting Diode) like the Pentax Optio camera above. The LED type of lighting is now used for everything. I was just thinking last night when I went to bed, my entire house is no longer completely dark at night. We used to plug in night lights so we wouldn't walk into a wall. 

Well, our house is not dark at night anymore. In my bedroom alone, I have two computers,(one iMac and a PC) plus a laptop that I leave plugged-in. Count the alarm clock, the external drives, the monitors, the room is bright enough from all the LED's to see around. In the living room, the flat screen, the sound system are emitting light as well, the kitchen has the microwave and the stove and even the refrigerator has a green LED for the ice maker.

The only place that there are no LED is in the bathroom, which is usually why we get up during the night to begin with

Yvon Bourque